Shloka 55

Devanagari script

सो5पि दत्तं हरेत्‌ पित्रा नादत्तं हर्तुमरहति । त्रिभिर्वर्ण: सदा जात: शूद्रोडदेयधनो भवेत्‌

Transliteration

so 'pi dattaṃ haret pitrā nādattaṃ hartum arhati | tribhir varṇaiḥ sadā jātaḥ śūdro 'deyadhano bhavet ||

Translation

Бхишма сказал: «И он может взять лишь то, что отец явно ему даровал; на то, что не дано, он не вправе посягать. Шудра, рождённый от смешения трёх высших варн, по общему правилу — тот, кому не следует ни вверять, ни давать богатство».

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• दत्तम्: given (thing)
• दत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (दत्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• हरेत्: may/should take
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अदत्तम्: not given (thing)
• अदत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (अदत्त)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• हर्तुम्: to take/steal away
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ
• Form: Infinitive (Tumun)

• अर्हति: is entitled/deserves
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• त्रिभिः: by/through three
• त्रिभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective (Numeral)
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• वर्णैः: by the (three) varnas/classes
• वर्णैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• जातः: born/produced
• जातः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (जात)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शूद्रः: a Shudra
• शूद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अदेयधनः: one whose wealth is not to be given (i.e., not liable to give wealth)
• अदेयधनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदेयधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would be/should be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• father (pitṛ)
• Śūdra
• three varṇas (tribhir varṇaiḥ)
• wealth/property (dhana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Only what is explicitly granted by the rightful owner (here, the father) may be taken; taking what is not given is unauthorized. The verse also states a normative rule about entrusting wealth in the context of varṇa-based social classifications discussed in this section on dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he lays down rules concerning rightful taking/receiving of property—especially in familial and social contexts—emphasizing consent (what is ‘given’) versus seizure (what is ‘not given’).