Shloka 40

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

स तत्र संहारविसर्गमेक॑ स्वधर्मजैर्बन्धनै: क्लिश्यमान: । ततः स हारिद्रमुपैति वर्ण संहारविक्षेपशते व्यतीते

Transliteration

sa tatra saṁhāra-visargam ekaṁ svadharma-jair bandhanaiḥ kliśyamānaḥ | tataḥ sa hāridram upaiti varṇaṁ saṁhāra-vikṣepa-śate vyatīte ||

Translation

तेथे देही जीव संहार व विसर्ग यांचा एकच चक्र भोगतो, स्वधर्मातून उत्पन्न झालेल्या बंधनांनी क्लेश पावत परिभ्रमण करीत. नंतर संहार व विक्षेप यांचे असे शंभर आवर्त व्यतीत झाल्यावर तो हारिद्र—पिवळट-सुवर्ण—अवस्था प्राप्त करतो.

Word by Word

सःhe

तत्रthere

संहार-विसर्गम्withdrawal and emission (dissolution and creation)

एकःalone

स्वधर्म-जैःborn of one’s own dharma

बन्धनैःby bonds, fetters

क्लिश्यमानःbeing afflicted, being tormented

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

हारिद्रम्yellow (golden)

उपैतिattains, reaches

वर्णम्color, complexion

संहार-विक्षेप-शतेwhen a hundred (cycles of) dissolution and projection have (occurred)

व्यतीतेwhen (it) has passed, after (it) has elapsed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even what is called one’s own dharma can become a binding force when it hardens into attachment and karmic compulsion; the being is carried through repeated cycles of dissolution and re-manifestation until a further qualitative transformation is reached.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a metaphysical process: an individual being, afflicted by bonds arising from its own nature and duties, passes through repeated alternations of cosmic withdrawal (saṁhāra) and projection (visarga/vikṣepa), and after many such cycles attains a distinct ‘hāridra’ state.