Shloka 4

Devanagari script

उपदेशो न कर्तव्यो जातिहीनस्य कस्यचित्‌ । उपदेशे महान्‌ दोष उपाध्यायस्य भाष्यते,किसी भी नीच जातिके मनुष्यको उपदेश नहीं देना चाहिये। उसे उपदेश देनेपर उपदेशक आचार्यके लिये महान्‌ दोष बताया जाता है

Transliteration

upadeśo na kartavyo jātihīnasya kasyacit | upadeśe mahān doṣa upādhyāyasya bhāṣyate ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Janganlah diberikan ajaran kepada sesiapa yang dianggap ‘tanpa kedudukan kasta’. Jika ajaran itu diberikan, maka dikatakan suatu kesalahan besar akan menimpa guru (pendeta/pendidik) yang menyampaikannya.”

Word by Word

उपदेशःinstruction, advice

नnot

कर्तव्यःto be done / should be done

जातिहीनस्यof one devoid of (good) birth/caste

कस्यचित्of any (someone)

उपदेशेin/with regard to instruction; in giving instruction

महान्great

दोषःfault, blame

उपाध्यायस्यof the teacher/preceptor

भाष्यतेis said/declared

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

upādhyāya (teacher/preceptor)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a restrictive norm: giving formal instruction (upadeśa) to a person considered jātihīna is prohibited, and doing so is said to bring serious demerit (doṣa) upon the teacher.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhishma continues laying down rules of conduct and social-religious norms, here specifying who is considered eligible to receive instruction and warning of the teacher’s fault if the rule is violated.