Shloka 44

मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्

Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition

Devanagari script

तथैव चान्यैरपि शास्त्रवेदिभि: स्वलंकृतै: शास्त्रविधानदृष्टिभि: । सुशिक्षितैर्भाष्पकथाविशारदै: परेषु कृत्यामुपधारयेच्च,इसी तरह अन्यान्य शास्त्रज्ञ शास्त्रीय विधिके ज्ञाता सुशिक्षित तथा भाष्यकथाविशारद विद्वानोंको वस्त्राभूषणोंसे अलंकृत करके उनके द्वारा शत्रुओंपर कृत्याका प्रयोग करावे

Transliteration

tathaiva cānyair api śāstravedibhiḥ svalankṛtaiḥ śāstravidhānadṛṣṭibhiḥ | suśikṣitair bhāṣyakathāviśāradaiḥ pareṣu kṛtyām upadhārayec ca ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Demikian juga, hendaklah digunakan para sarjana lain—mereka yang mengetahui kitab-kitab suci, dihias dengan sewajarnya, dan terlatih dalam tatacara yang ditetapkan oleh śāstra; mereka yang terdidik serta mahir dalam syarahan, tafsiran, dan penghuraian—untuk melaksanakan dan menerapkan upacara sedemikian terhadap musuh.”

Word by Word

• {'tathaiva': 'just so

• in the same way', 'anyaiḥ api': 'by others also', 'śāstra-vedibhiḥ': 'by those who know the treatises/scriptures', 'su-alaṅkṛtaiḥ (svalankṛtaiḥ)': 'well adorned

• properly decorated (with garments/ornaments)', 'śāstra-vidhāna-dṛṣṭibhiḥ': 'by those who have insight into/knowledge of scriptural injunctions and procedures', 'suśikṣitaiḥ': 'well trained

• well educated', 'bhāṣya-kathā-viśāradaiḥ': 'skilled in commentarial explanation and learned discourse', 'pareṣu': 'against others

• upon enemies', 'kṛtyām': 'a rite/act (often a special ritual operation

• in some contexts a hostile rite)', 'upadhārayet': 'should cause to be undertaken/implemented

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• enemies (pare)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses that specialized actions—especially rites requiring technical competence—should be carried out only through properly trained, scripturally grounded experts who understand correct procedure and can explain authoritative interpretations.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Shanti Parva, he continues outlining methods and counsel for governance and protection, here indicating that certain operations against adversaries are to be executed through qualified, well-instructed ritual and exegetical specialists.