Shloka 23

Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)

Devanagari script

ततो गच्छसि सिद्धार्थ:पीड्यमानं महाजनम्‌ | योगधर्मविदं पुण्यं कंचिदस्योपवर्णयेत्‌

Transliteration

tato gacchasi siddhārthaḥ pīḍyamānaṁ mahājanam | yogadharmavidaṁ puṇyaṁ kaṁcid asyopavarṇayet ||

Translation

ତେବେ ତୁମର ମନୋରଥ ସିଦ୍ଧ ହେବ ଓ ତୁମେ ପ୍ରସ୍ଥାନ କରିବ। ତାପରେ ସେହି ରାଜାଙ୍କ ସମ୍ମୁଖରେ ପୀଡିତ ପ୍ରଜାମାନଙ୍କ ଦୁରବସ୍ଥା ବର୍ଣ୍ଣନା କର; ଏବଂ ଯୋଗଧର୍ମଜ୍ଞ କୌଣସି ପୁଣ୍ୟାତ୍ମା ପୁରୁଷଙ୍କ ମହିମା ମଧ୍ୟ କୀର୍ତ୍ତନ କର—ଯାହାଦ୍ୱାରା ଶତ୍ରୁ ରାଜା ରାଜ୍ୟତ୍ୟାଗକୁ ପ୍ରବୃତ୍ତ ହେବ। କିନ୍ତୁ ସେ ଯଦି ପ୍ରକୃତିସ୍ଥ ହୋଇ ରହେ ଓ ବୈରାଗ୍ୟ ନ ଜାଗେ, ତେବେ ତୁମେ ନିଯୁକ୍ତ କରିଥିବା ଲୋକମାନଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ସିଦ୍ଧ, ସର୍ବଶତ୍ରୁବିନାଶକ ଔଷଧ-ଯୋଗ ପ୍ରୟୋଗ କରି ଶତ୍ରୁର ହାତୀ, ଘୋଡ଼ା ଓ ସେନାକୁ ମରାଇ ଦିଅ।

Word by Word

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• गच्छसि: you go
• गच्छसि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Lat (present), 2, singular, Parasmaipada

• सिद्धार्थः: one whose purpose is accomplished / successful
• सिद्धार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धार्थ
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• पीड्यमानम्: being afflicted/oppressed
• पीड्यमानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीड्
• Form: present passive participle (शानच्), masculine, accusative, singular

• महाजनम्: the multitude / common people
• महाजनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाजन
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• योगधर्मविदम्: knower of the dharma of yoga
• योगधर्मविदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगधर्मविद्
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• पुण्यम्: virtuous/holy
• पुण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• कञ्चित्: some (someone)
• कञ्चित्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular, indefinite (चित्)

• अस्य: of him/of this
• अस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• उपवर्णयेत्: should describe/relate
• उपवर्णयेत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपवर्णय्
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (unnamed, hostile/enemy king)
• mahājana (the people/common populace)
• yogadharmavit puṇyātmā (a virtuous knower of yoga-dharma)
• elephants
• horses
• soldiers/men

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma frames a strategy of moral persuasion: first move a hostile ruler by showing the suffering of the people and by praising a virtuous exemplar of yoga-dharma, so that renunciation or restraint may arise. The passage also reflects the tension in raja-dharma between ethical suasion and harsher measures when persuasion fails.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and policy, Bhishma advises how to influence an enemy king: narrate public suffering and highlight the greatness of a righteous, disciplined person to induce the enemy to abandon his claim. The accompanying prose context (as in the provided Hindi) continues with an escalation plan if the king remains unmoved.