Shloka 17

बलीन्द्रसंवादः — Kāla, Anityatā, and the Limits of Agency

Mahābhārata 12.217

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते । वाड्मनोनियम: सम्यड्मानसं तप उच्यते,ब्रह्मचर्थय और अहिंसाको शारीरिक तप कहते हैं। मन और वाणीका भलीभाँति किया हुआ संयम मानसिक तप कहलाता है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | brahmacaryam ahiṃsā ca śārīraṃ tapa ucyate | vāṅmanoniyamaḥ samyak mānasaṃ tapa ucyate |

Translation

பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்—பிரம்மச்சரியமும் அஹிம்சையும் உடல் தவம் எனப்படுகிறது. வாக்கும் மனமும் முறையாகக் கட்டுப்படுத்தப்படுதல் மனத் தவம் எனப்படுகிறது.

Word by Word

ब्रह्मचर्यम्celibacy, continence

अहिंसाnon-violence

चand

शारीरम्bodily, physical

तपःausterity, penance

उच्यतेis said/called

वाक्speech

मनःmind

नियमःrestraint, regulation

सम्यक्properly, well

मानसम्mental

तपःausterity, penance

उच्यतेis said/called

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

Tapas is primarily ethical self-discipline: bodily austerity is defined as brahmacarya (continence) and ahiṃsā (non-violence), while mental austerity is defined as proper restraint of speech and mind.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of austerity, distinguishing bodily tapas from mental tapas and grounding both in restraint and non-harm.