Shloka 166

Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

तस्य ते मुक्तसड्रस्य पाशानाक्रम्य तिष्ठतः । छत्रादिषु विशेषेषु पुन: सड़: कथ्थ नृप

Transliteration

tasya te muktasaṅgasya pāśān ākrāmya tiṣṭhataḥ | chatrādiṣu viśeṣeṣu punaḥ saṅgaḥ kathaṃ nṛpa ||

Translation

ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਹੇ ਨ੍ਰਿਪ! ਤੂੰ ਤਾਂ ਆਸਕਤੀ ਤੋਂ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਬੰਧਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਰੌਂਦ ਕੇ ਖੜਾ ਹੈਂ; ਫਿਰ ਛਤਰ ਆਦਿ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਰਾਜ-ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਮੁੜ ਲਗਾਵ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ?

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• मुक्त: freed, released
• मुक्त: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (मुच् + क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सङ्गस्य: of attachment
• सङ्गस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पाशान्: bonds, nooses
• पाशान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आक्रम्य: having overstepped, having trampled
• आक्रम्य: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-क्रम्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), —, —

• तिष्ठतः: you stand/remain
• तिष्ठतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (तिष्ठ)
• Form: Present, Second, Singular

• छत्रादिषु: in umbrellas and the like
• छत्रादिषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्रादि
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• विशेषेषु: in special (royal) items/distinctions
• विशेषेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• सङ्गः: attachment
• सङ्गः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

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

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• nṛpa (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in context)
• chatra (royal parasol)
• pāśa (bonds/fetters)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True liberation is marked by freedom from attachment; once one has understood and internalized the path to mokṣa, clinging to status-symbols (like royal insignia) is inconsistent with that realization.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma admonishes the king: having learned the doctrine of release and having ‘trampled the bonds,’ why does he still feel attraction toward royal privileges and external marks of sovereignty?