Shloka 4

अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था

Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire

Devanagari script

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम्‌ । निर्वेदान्मड़किना गीतं तन्निबोध युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! इस विषयमें जानकार पुरुष एक प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया करते हैं। मड़॒कि नामक मुनिने भोगोंसे विरक्त होकर जो उद्‌गार प्रकट किया था, वही इस इतिहासमें वर्णित है। उसे बताता हूँ, सुनो

Transliteration

atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | nirvedān maḍakinā gītaṃ tan nibodha yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । निर्वेदान्मडकिना गीतं तन्निबोध युधिष्ठिर ॥

Word by Word

{'atra api''here also

in this matter too', 'udāharanti''they cite

they adduce as an example', 'imam''this', 'itihāsam': 'ancient narrative

traditional account (didactic story)', 'purātanam''ancient

of old', 'nirvedāt''from dispassion

from weariness toward worldly enjoyment', 'maḍakinā''by Maḍakī (name of a sage)', 'gītam': 'sung

a lyrical utterance', 'tat''that', 'nibodha': 'understand

take note', 'yudhiṣṭhira''Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed directly)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Yudhishthira

Maḍakī (sage)

itihāsa (ancient exemplum)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical instruction is strengthened through precedent: true wisdom often begins with nirveda (disenchantment with pleasures), which turns the mind toward restraint and higher dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces a traditional illustrative tale. He tells Yudhiṣṭhira that a sage named Maḍakī, having become dispassionate toward enjoyments, voiced a memorable utterance; Bhīṣma is about to recount that account as guidance.