Shloka 28

Devanagari script

न त्रासिनो न चपला न रौद्रा: सत्यथे स्थिता: । ते सेव्या: साधुभिननित्य॑ येष्वहिंसा प्रतिेष्ठिता,वे किसीको भय नहीं दिखाते, चपलता नहीं करते उनका स्वभाव किसीके लिये भंयकर नहीं होता है, वे सदा सन्मार्ममें ही स्थित रहते हैं, उनमें अहिंसा नित्य प्रतिष्ठित होती है, ऐसे श्रेष्ठ पुरुषोंका ही सदा सेवन करना चाहिये

Transliteration

na trāsino na capalā na raudrāḥ satyataye sthitāḥ | te sevyāḥ sādhubhir nityaṃ yeṣv ahiṃsā pratiṣṭhitā ||

Translation

भीष्म उवाच—न ते त्रासिनो न चपलाः, न रौद्राः; सत्यार्थे स्थिताḥ। येष्वहिंसा नित्यं प्रतिष्ठिता, ते सेव्या नित्यं साधुभिः।

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'trāsinaḥ': 'those who cause fear

• intimidators', 'capalāḥ': 'fickle, unsteady, restless in conduct', 'raudrāḥ': 'fierce, cruel, harsh-tempered', 'satyataye': 'for truthfulness

• for the sake of truth (satya)', 'sthitāḥ': 'steadfast, established, abiding', 'te': 'they', 'sevyāḥ': 'to be served/attended upon

• worthy of association', 'sādhubhiḥ': 'by the virtuous/good people', 'nityam': 'always, constantly', 'yeṣu': 'in whom', 'ahiṃsā': 'non-violence

• non-injury in thought, word, and deed', 'pratiṣṭhitā': 'firmly established, well-founded'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Cultivate and seek the company of people who are truthful, steady, non-threatening, and non-violent; such association supports dharma and moral clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira about the marks of truly good persons and recommends constant association with those grounded in truth and ahiṃsā.