Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तदा स वृद्धो भवति तदा भवति दुःखित: । तदा शून्यं जगत्‌ तस्य यदा मात्रा वियुज्यते

Transliteration

tadā sa vṛddho bhavati tadā bhavati duḥkhitaḥ | tadā śūnyaṃ jagat tasya yadā mātrā viyujyate ||

Translation

तदा स वृद्धो भवति तदा भवति दुःखितः । तदा शून्यं जगत्तस्य यदा मात्रा वियुज्यते ॥

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

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

• वृद्धः: old
• वृद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवति: becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• भवति: becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दुःखितः: sorrowful
• दुःखितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• शून्यम्: empty, void
• शून्यम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तस्य: for him / of him
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• यदा: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• मात्रा: mother
• मात्रा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वियुज्यते: is separated (from)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + युज्
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Atmanepada (Passive)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• mother

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the irreplaceable role of the mother: real ‘old age’ and deep sorrow are felt most sharply when one loses the mother, and life itself seems emptied. It underscores gratitude, reverence, and the ethical weight of familial bonds.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and the human condition. Here he reflects on the emotional and moral significance of the mother, describing the profound bereavement that follows separation from her.