Shloka 21

Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī

Devanagari script

जातिनिर्वेदमुक्त्वा स कर्मनिर्वेदमब्रवीत्‌ | कर्मनिर्वेदमुक्त्वा च सर्वनिर्वेदमब्रवीत्‌,उन्होंने 'जातिनिर्वेद'* का वर्णन करके “कर्मनिर्वेद'* का उपदेश किया। तत्पश्चात्‌ 'सर्वनिर्वेद'* की बात बतायी

Transliteration

jātinirvedam uktvā sa karmanirvedam abravīt | karmanirvedam uktvā ca sarvanirvedam abravīt |

Translation

Bhishma disse: Tendo primeiro explicado o desapego que nasce da condição social ou do nascimento (jāti-nirveda), ensinou então o desapego em relação à própria ação (karma-nirveda). E, após expor o desapego quanto à ação, passou a falar do desapego completo e abrangente (sarva-nirveda).

Word by Word

जाति-निर्वेदम्disgust/indifference regarding birth/caste (jati)

उक्त्वाhaving said/uttered

सःhe

कर्म-निर्वेदम्disgust/indifference regarding action (karma)

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

कर्म-निर्वेदम्disgust/indifference regarding action (karma)

उक्त्वाhaving said

चand

सर्व-निर्वेदम्complete/total disgust (universal indifference)

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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 outlines a graded instruction in vairāgya (detachment): from disenchantment tied to one’s social condition (jāti-nirveda), to disenchantment toward action and its outcomes (karma-nirveda), culminating in comprehensive detachment from all worldly aims (sarva-nirveda), which supports liberation-oriented living.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma summarizes a teacher’s sequence of instruction: after describing one form of disenchantment, the teacher advances the listener step by step to deeper renunciation, ending with the teaching of total disenchantment.