Shloka 19

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच धर्मस्य द्वियमाणस्य बलवद्/िद्दुरात्मभि: । यद्येवं मन्यसे राजंस्त्रिधा धर्मविचारणा

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dharmasya dvyamāṇasya balavad durātmabhiḥ | yady evaṃ manyase rājan tridhā dharmavicāraṇā ||

Translation

ଭୀଷ୍ମ କହିଲେ—ରାଜନ୍! ପ୍ରବଳ ଦୁରାତ୍ମାମାନଙ୍କ ଆଘାତରେ ଧର୍ମ ଦୁଇ ଭାଗ ହୋଇଯାଏ ଏବଂ ତେଣୁ ଧର୍ମବିଚାର ତିନି ପ୍ରକାର ହୁଏ—ଯଦି ତୁମେ ଏପରି ଭାବୁଛ, ତେବେ ସେ ମତ ଯୁକ୍ତିସଙ୍ଗତ ନୁହେଁ। ପ୍ରକୃତରେ ଧର୍ମ ଏକ; ତାହାକୁ ତିନି ଉପାୟରେ ପରୀକ୍ଷା କରାଯାଏ—ବେଦ, ପ୍ରତ୍ୟକ୍ଷ ଓ ଶିଷ୍ଟାଚାର—ଏ ତିନି ପ୍ରମାଣ ଦ୍ୱାରା ତାହାର ସମୀକ୍ଷା ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्मस्य: of dharma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• द्वियमाणस्य: being harmed/being oppressed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि-यम् (द्वियमाण)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular, शानच् (present passive participle sense)

• बलवत्: strongly, powerfully
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलवत्
• Form: Neuter (adverbial use), Accusative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• दुरात्मभिः: by evil-minded (persons)
• दुरात्मभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• मन्यसे: you think/consider
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: Present, 2nd, Singular, Atmanepada

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• त्रिधा: in three ways
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रिधा

• धर्मविचारणा: examination/inquiry of dharma
• धर्मविचारणा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-विचारणा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājan (the King—Yudhiṣṭhira in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma insists that dharma is fundamentally one, even when it appears harmed or confused by the actions of powerful wrongdoers; the ‘threefold’ aspect belongs to the methods of examining dharma, not to dharma itself being three different things.

What is happening in the narrative?

In his instruction to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), Bhishma corrects a misunderstanding: the king seems to treat dharma as split or multiple due to conflicting situations, and Bhishma clarifies that only the inquiry is threefold—dharma itself remains a single principle.