Shloka 34

Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)

Devanagari script

न च मेउत्र भवान्‌ गह्यों न च येषां भवान्‌ प्रिय: । हिताहितांस्तु बुद्धयेथा मा परोक्षमतिर्भवे:,परंतु इसके लिये मैं आपकी और आपके प्रेमियोंकी निन्‍्दा नहीं करता। मेरा कहना तो इतना ही है कि आप स्वयं अपने हित और अनहितको पहचानिये। प्रत्येक कार्यको अपनी आँखोंसे देखिये। दूसरोंकी देख-भालपर विश्वास न कीजिये

Transliteration

na ca me 'tra bhavān gāhyo na ca yeṣāṃ bhavān priyaḥ | hitāhitāṃs tu buddhyethā mā parokṣamatir bhaveḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma disse: “Aqui não te censuro, nem aos que te são caros. Apenas digo isto: discerne por ti mesmo o que é verdadeiramente benéfico e o que é nocivo. Que teu entendimento não seja indireto—vê cada caminho de ação com teus próprios olhos e não descanses tua confiança apenas na supervisão de outros.”

Word by Word

{'na ca''and not

nor', 'me''to me

by me', 'atra''here

in this matter', 'bhavān''you (honorific)', 'gāhyaḥ': 'to be censured/blamed

to be reproached', 'yeṣām''of whom

of those whose', 'priyaḥ''dear

beloved', 'hitāhitān''the beneficial and the harmful

welfare and non-welfare', 'tu''but

indeed', 'buddhyethāḥ''you should understand/discern (2nd person optative/imperative sense)', 'mā': 'do not', 'parokṣa-matiḥ': 'an indirect/second-hand understanding

mediated judgment', 'bhaveḥ''may you be

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

bhavān (the addressed interlocutor, unnamed in the verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma urges direct discernment: one should personally distinguish benefit from harm (hita vs. ahita) and avoid relying on second-hand judgment or merely trusting others to manage one’s affairs.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses the listener with counsel. He clarifies that he is not blaming the person or their associates; rather, he is advising careful, firsthand evaluation of actions and consequences in the pursuit of right conduct.