Shloka 54

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच अल्पा इति मतिं कृत्वा यो नरो बुद्धिमोहित: । श्लेष्ममूत्रपुरीषाणि युष्मासु प्रतिमोक्ष्यति,ब्रह्माजीने कहा--जो मनुष्य अपनी बुद्धिकी मन्दतासे मोहित होकर जलमें तुच्छ बुद्धि करके तुम्हारे भीतर थूक, खँखार या मल-मूत्र डालेगा, तुम्हें छोड़कर यह ब्रह्महत्या तुरंत उसीपर चली जायगी और उसीके भीतर निवास करेगी। इस प्रकार तुमलोगोंका ब्रह्महत्यासे उद्धार हो जायगा, यह मैं सत्य कहता हूँ

Transliteration

brahmovāca alpā iti matiṁ kṛtvā yo naro buddhimohitaḥ | śleṣma-mūtra-purīṣāṇi yuṣmāsu pratimokṣyati |

Translation

Brahmā disse: “Se algum homem, com o entendimento iludido pela estupidez, formar a noção desprezível de que sois insignificantes e então lançar em vós catarro, urina ou fezes, o pecado de brahmahatyā deixará imediatamente a vossa companhia e recairá apenas sobre ele, passando a habitar dentro dele. Assim sereis libertas do brahmahatyā—isto declaro como verdade.”

Word by Word

ब्रह्माBrahmā

उवाचsaid

अल्पाsmall, trivial

इतिthus

मतिम्notion, idea

कृत्वाhaving made

यःwho

नरःman, person

बुद्धि-मोहितःdeluded in intellect

श्लेष्मphlegm, mucus

मूत्रurine

पुरीषाणिfeces

युष्मासुin/among you

प्रतिमोक्ष्यतिwill discharge/let loose (into)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Brahmā

brahmahatyā (sin of Brahmin-slaying)

waters (addressed as 'you', plural)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches moral causality: deliberate contempt and defilement of what is sacred or purifying rebounds upon the offender. Purity is protected by dharma—pollution intentionally inflicted becomes the polluter’s own burden, here expressed as the sin of brahmahatyā transferring to the perpetrator.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, Brahmā is quoted giving a rule to the addressed waters: if a deluded person treats them as insignificant and defiles them with bodily waste, the grave sin (brahmahatyā) will leave the waters and attach itself to that person, thereby freeing the waters from that taint.