Shloka 16

Durgātitaraṇa—Conduct for Crossing Difficulties (दुर्गातितरणम्)

Devanagari script

येषां न कश्षित्‌ त्रसति न त्रसन्ति हि कस्यचित्‌ । येषामात्मसमो लोको दुर्गाण्यतितरन्ति ते,जिनसे कोई भयभीत नहीं होता, जो स्वयं भी किसीसे भय नहीं मानते तथा जिनकी दृष्टिमें यह सारा जगत्‌ अपने आत्माके ही तुल्य है, वे दुस्तर संकटोंसे तर जाते हैं

Transliteration

yeṣāṁ na kaścit trasati na trasanti hi kasyacit | yeṣām ātmasamo loko durgāṇy atitaranti te ||

Translation

Bhishma bersabda: Mereka yang tidak menimbulkan rasa takut pada sesiapa, yang sendiri tidak takut kepada sesiapa, dan yang memandang seluruh dunia setara dengan diri (ātman) mereka—orang seperti itu menyeberangi bahkan bahaya dan krisis yang paling sukar sekalipun.

Word by Word

येषाम्of whom/whose

नnot

कश्चित्anyone

त्रसतिfears/is frightened

नnot

त्रसन्तिfear (they fear)

हिindeed/for

कस्यचित्of anyone/from anyone

येषाम्of whom/whose

आत्मसमःequal to oneself

लोकःthe world/people

दुर्गाणिdifficult passages/dangers

अतितरन्तिcross over/surmount

तेthey/those (people)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Fearlessness grounded in non-harming and universal empathy: one who neither intimidates others nor lives in fear, and who views all beings as equal to oneself, gains the inner steadiness that carries one through severe adversity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on the qualities of the righteous and self-controlled person, highlighting how such a character becomes resilient against even formidable संकट (durgāṇi).