Shanti Parva Adhyaya 279 Shloka 16 - Mahabharata | Sanskrit | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 16

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

एवं जातिशतैरयुक्तो गुणैरेव प्रसज्धिषु । बुद्धा निवर्तते दोषो यत्नेनाभ्यासजेन ह,“वही तिल या सरसोंका तेल बहुत-से सुगन्धित पुष्पोंद्वारा बारंबार वासित होनेपर अपनी गन्धको छोड़ देता है और उस फूलकी गन्धमें ही स्थित हो जाता है। उसी प्रकार सैकड़ों जन्मोंमें स्त्री-पुत्र आदिके संसर्गसे युक्त तथा सत्त्व, रज और तम--इन तीनों गुणोंद्वारा प्रवर्तित दोषसमूह बुद्धि तथा अभ्यासजनित यत्नसे निवृत्त हो पाता है

Transliteration

evaṁ jātiśatair yukto guṇair eva prasajjiṣu | buddhā nivartate doṣo yatnenābhyāsajena ha ||

Translation

एवं जातिशतैरयुक्तो गुणैरेव प्रसज्यिषु । बुद्ध्या निवर्तते दोषो यत्नेनाभ्यासजेन ह ॥ यथा तिलतैलं वा सरषपतैलं बहुभिः सुगन्धिपुष्पैः पुनःपुनर्वासितं स्वगन्धं जहाति पुष्पगन्धे च प्रतिष्ठते । तथा शतजन्मसंसर्गवशात् स्त्रीपुत्रादिसंयोगयुक्तं सत्त्व-रजस्-तमोगुणप्रवर्तितं दोषसमूहं बुद्ध्या चाभ्यासजनितेन यत्नेन च निवर्तयितुं शक्यते ।

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

जाति-शतैःby hundreds of births

युक्तःendowed/connected

गुणैःby the qualities (guṇas)

एवindeed, only

प्रसक्तेषुin those attached/engaged (in objects)

बुद्ध्याby understanding/intellect

निवर्ततेturns back, ceases, is removed

दोषःfault, defect

यत्नेनby effort

अभ्यास-जेनborn of practice

हिindeed, for

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

buddhi

abhyāsa (practice)

doṣa (fault/defect)

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?

Even deeply ingrained faults formed over many lifetimes and reinforced by the guṇas can be reduced and overcome through buddhi (clear discernment) and sustained effort grounded in repeated practice (abhyāsa).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction (Shanti Parva), he explains to the listener that moral transformation is possible: habitual defects do not have to remain permanent, because disciplined practice and awakened understanding can reverse long-standing conditioning.