Shloka 29

Devanagari script

तस्मात्‌ सत्यव्रताचार: सत्ययोगपरायण: । सत्यागम: सदा दान्तः सत्येनैवान्तकं॑ जयेत्‌,अतः मनुष्यको सत्यव्रतवका आचरण करना चाहिये। सत्ययोगमें तत्पर रहना और शास्त्रकी बातोंको सत्य मानकर श्रद्धापूर्वक सदा मन और इन्द्रियोंका संयम करना चाहिये। इस प्रकार सत्यके द्वारा ही मनुष्य मृत्युपर विजय पा सकता है

Transliteration

tasmāt satyavrata-ācāraḥ satya-yoga-parāyaṇaḥ | satyāgamaḥ sadā dāntaḥ satyenaivāntakaṁ jayet ||

Translation

ஆகவே மனிதன் சத்தியவிரதத்தையும் சத்தியநடத்தையையும் கடைப்பிடித்து, சத்தியயோகத்தில் நிலைத்திருக்க வேண்டும். சாஸ்திரவாக்கை உண்மை எனக் கொண்டு, பக்தியுடன் எப்போதும் மனமும் இந்திரியங்களும் அடக்கத்தில் இருக்கச் செய்ய வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு சத்தியத்தினாலேயே மனிதன் அந்தகன்—மரணம்—என்பதைக் வெல்ல முடியும்.

Word by Word

{'tasmāt''therefore

for that reason', 'satya''truth

truthfulness', 'vrata''vow

sacred resolve', 'ācāra''conduct

disciplined practice', 'satyavrata-ācāraḥ''one whose conduct is grounded in the vow of truth', 'yoga': 'discipline

integration', 'satya-yoga-parāyaṇaḥ''one devoted to the yoga/discipline of truth', 'āgama': 'authoritative teaching

tradition', 'satyāgamaḥ''one who accepts scripture/teaching as true

one grounded in true authority', 'sadā''always', 'dāntaḥ': 'self-controlled

restrained (of senses and mind)', 'satyena eva''by truth alone', 'antakam': 'Antaka, the Ender

Death (personified)', 'jayet''should conquer

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Antaka (Death)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma teaches that steadfast truthfulness—lived as a vow, supported by disciplined practice and self-restraint, and grounded in trust in śāstric teaching—has the power to overcome even Death (Antaka), i.e., to transcend fear and the bondage that leads to mortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues his ethical discourse, emphasizing satya (truth) as a supreme dharmic practice and presenting it as a practical discipline involving restraint of mind and senses.