Shanti Parva Adhyaya 284 Shloka 140 - Mahabharata | Oriya | Vedapath

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Shloka 140

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

मृत्यु, क्षुर॒ .छेदन करनेका शस्त्र), कृत्य (छेदन करने योग्य), पक्ष (मित्र) तथा अपक्ष- क्षयंकर (शत्रुपक्षका नाश करनेवाले) भी आप ही हैं। आप मेघके समान काले, बड़ी-बड़ी दाढ़ोंवाले और प्रलयकालीन मेघ हैं ।।

Transliteration

mṛtyuḥ kṣuraś chedana-karaṇaṃ śastraṃ kṛtyaṃ chedana-yogyaṃ pakṣaḥ mitram apakṣa-kṣayaṅkaraḥ śatru-pakṣa-nāśakaś ca tvam eva | tvam megha-samaḥ kālaḥ mahā-dāḍhāḥ pralayakālīya-meghaḥ || ghaṇṭo ’ghaṇṭo ghaṭī ghaṇṭī carucelī milī-milī | brahma-kāyikam agnīnāṃ daṇḍī muṇḍas tri-daṇḍa-dhṛk tvam eva ||

Translation

ଭୀଷ୍ମ କହିଲେ— ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ତୁମେ ହିଁ; ତୁମେ ହିଁ କ୍ଷୁର—ଛେଦନକାରୀ ଶସ୍ତ୍ର, ତୁମେ ହିଁ କୃତ୍ୟ ଓ ଛେଦ୍ୟ। ତୁମେ ହିଁ ପକ୍ଷ (ମିତ୍ର) ଏବଂ ଅପକ୍ଷ-କ୍ଷୟକର (ଶତ୍ରୁପକ୍ଷନାଶକ)। ତୁମେ ମେଘଶ୍ୟାମ, ମହାଦଂଷ୍ଟ୍ର, ପ୍ରଳୟମେଘସମ। ‘ଘଣ୍ଟ’, ‘ଅଘଣ୍ଟ’, ‘ଘଟୀ’, ‘ଘଣ୍ଟୀ’, ‘ଚରୁଚେଲୀ’ ଓ ‘ମିଲୀ-ମିଲୀ’—ଏ ସବୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ତୁମେ; ଯେ ପ୍ରକାଶ-ଆବରଣ କର, କର୍ମଫଳରେ ବାନ୍ଧ, ଲୋକମାନେ ନାଦରୂପେ ଗୁଞ୍ଜ, ଜୀବମାନଙ୍କ ସହ କ୍ରୀଡା କର, ଏବଂ କାରଣରୂପେ ସର୍ବତ୍ର ବ୍ୟାପ୍ତ। ତୁମେ ହିଁ ବ୍ରହ୍ମ; ତୁମେ ହିଁ ଅଗ୍ନିସ୍ୱରୂପ; ତୁମେ ହିଁ ଦଣ୍ଡୀ, ମୁଣ୍ଡ ଓ ତ୍ରିଦଣ୍ଡଧାରୀ।

Word by Word

मृत्युःdeath

क्षुरःrazor; sharp cutting weapon

छेदन-करःcausing cutting; cutter

शस्त्रम्weapon

कृत्यम्to be done; fit to be cut (contextual)

पक्षःside; faction; ally-party

अपक्ष-क्षयङ्करःdestroyer of the opposing side

अपिalso; even

त्वम्you

एवindeed; alone

मेघ-श्यामःdark like a cloud

महादंष्ट्रःhaving great fangs

प्रलय-मेघःcloud of dissolution (deluge-cloud)

घण्टःbell; (epithet) the resounding one

अघण्टःthe non-resounding one (as epithet; unclear)

घटीbell; time-measure (contextual epithet; unclear)

घण्टीsmall bell; bell-bearing (as epithet)

चरुचेलीCharucelī (epithet/name; uncertain)

मिलीमिलीmili-mili (onomatopoeic/epithet; uncertain)

ब्रह्मकायिकम्having a Brahmanic body; pertaining to Brahma-body (epithet)

अग्नीनाम्of the fires

दण्डीstaff-bearing

मुण्डःshaven-headed; bald

त्रिदण्डधृक्bearer of the triple staff

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Mṛtyu (Death)

Kāla (Time)

Pralaya (cosmic dissolution)

Brahman

Agni (sacred fires)

Daṇḍī (staff-bearing ascetic)

Muṇḍa (shaven ascetic)

Tri-daṇḍa (triple staff)

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?

The verse identifies the supreme principle as both terrifying and sustaining: Death and Time, ally and destroyer, manifest and unmanifest. Ethically, it frames worldly power and mortality as expressions of a single cosmic order, urging humility and surrender to dharma rather than ego-driven control.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows—utters a hymn-like sequence of divine epithets. Here he praises the deity as the force behind destruction, karmic fruition, and ascetic discipline, using dense names and images (cloud-dark, pralaya, bells/time-measures) to convey omnipresence and sovereignty.