Shloka 27

Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)

Devanagari script

तथैवानभिजातो<पि काममस्तु बहुश्रुत: । अनायक इवाचक्षुर्मुहात्यणुषु कर्मसु,वैसे ही जो अच्छे कुलमें उत्पन्न नहीं है, वह भले ही अनेक शास्त्रोंका विद्वान्‌ हो, किंतु नायकरहित सैनिक तथा नेत्रहीन मनुष्यकी भाँति वह छोटे-छोटे कार्योंमें भी मोहित हो जाता है--कर्तव्याकर्तव्यका विवेक नहीं कर पाता

Transliteration

tathaivānabhijāto ’pi kāmam astu bahuśrutaḥ | anāyaka ivācakṣur muhyaty aṇuṣu karmasu ||

Translation

Disse Bhishma: Do mesmo modo, um homem que não é de boa linhagem—ainda que seja versado em muitas escrituras—fica confuso até em assuntos pequenos, como um exército sem comandante ou uma pessoa sem visão; não consegue discernir o que deve ser feito e o que não deve ser feito.

Word by Word

तथाthus, in the same way

एवindeed, just

अनभिजातःnot well-born, of no noble birth

अपिeven, although

कामम्indeed; granted; if you like

अस्तुlet (him) be; may (he) be

बहुश्रुतःmuch-learned, well-read

अनायकःleaderless, without a guide

इवlike, as if

अचक्षुःa blind man

मुह्यतिis deluded, becomes confused

अणुषुin small (matters)

कर्मसुin actions, in tasks

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?

Scriptural learning alone is insufficient for right conduct; without the stabilizing guidance of proper formation (and the capacity for discernment), a person may still be confused about duty and non-duty even in minor practical situations.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, using two similes—an army without a commander and a blind person—to illustrate how mere learning, without the qualities that enable sound judgment, leads to confusion in action.