Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 83

आचारप्रशंसा

Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

Devanagari script

रक्तमाल्यं न धार्य स्याच्छुक्लं धार्य तु पण्डितै: । वर्जयित्वा तु कमलं तथा कुवलयं प्रभो

Transliteration

raktamālyaṃ na dhāryaṃ syāc chuklaṃ dhāryaṃ tu paṇḍitaiḥ | varjayitvā tu kamalaṃ tathā kuvalayaṃ prabho ||

Translation

ਹੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ! ਵਿਦਵਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਲ ਫੁੱਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਮਾਲਾ ਨਹੀਂ, ਸਫ਼ੈਦ ਫੁੱਲਾਂ ਦੀ ਮਾਲਾ ਧਾਰਨ ਕਰਨੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ। ਪਰ ਕਮਲ ਅਤੇ ਕੂਵਲਯ (ਨੀਲ ਕਮਲ) ਇਸ ਨਿਯਮ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਹਰ ਹਨ—ਉਹ ਲਾਲੀਏ ਹੋਣ ਤਾਂ ਵੀ ਪਹਿਨਣ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੋਸ਼ ਨਹੀਂ।

Word by Word

• {'rakta': 'red

• blood-colored', 'mālya (mālyam)': 'garland

• floral wreath', 'na': 'not', 'dhāryam': 'to be worn

• fit to be worn', 'syāt (syāc)': 'should be

• may be', 'śukla': 'white

• pure', 'tu': 'but

• indeed', 'paṇḍitaiḥ': 'by the learned

• by wise persons', 'varjayitvā': 'having excluded

• excepting', 'kamala': 'lotus', 'tathā': 'and likewise

• similarly', 'kuvalaya': 'blue lotus / water-lily (often associated with dark-blue hue)', 'prabho': 'O lord

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• garland (mālya)
• red flowers
• white flowers
• lotus (kamala)
• kuvalaya (blue lotus/water-lily)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma teaches a rule of auspicious conduct: generally avoid red-flower garlands and prefer white ones, while explicitly allowing lotus and kuvalaya as exceptions even if they appear red-hued.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on proper conduct (ācāra), Bhīṣma answers a query about what is appropriate to wear, specifying which flower garlands are considered suitable and noting traditional exceptions.