Shloka 14

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

अथ तं पापकर्माणं राजधर्मा बकाधिप:

Transliteration

atha taṁ pāpakarmāṇaṁ rājadharmā bakādhipaḥ

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Kemudian si pelaku kejahatan itu—wahai penghulu burung bangau—ditegur tentang rājadharma, kewajiban raja.”

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• तम्: him/that (person)
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पापकर्माणम्: of sinful deeds
• पापकर्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापकर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• राजधर्मा: the king's duty / royal law (personified as 'Rājadharma')
• राजधर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजधर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बकाधिपः: lord of cranes; (name/title) Bakādhipa
• बकाधिपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बकाधिप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bakādhipa (lord of cranes)
• pāpakarmāṇa (an evil-doer, unnamed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse signals a shift to instruction on rājadharma—ethical kingship—implying that even a wrongdoer becomes subject to moral scrutiny and correction through the standards of governance and duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces the next move in the episode: an evil-acting person is being taken up in a discussion framed by rājadharma, addressed to (or involving) Bakādhipa, the ‘lord of cranes,’ indicating a didactic exchange or exemplum.