Shloka 66

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

सूचका: सेतुभेत्तार: परवृत््युपजीवका: । अकृच्ञाश्च मित्राणां ते वै निरयगामिन:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | sūcakāḥ setubhettāraḥ paravṛttyupajīvakāḥ | akṛjñāś ca mitrāṇāṃ te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—చాడీలు చెప్పేవారు, రక్షక సరిహద్దులను (ధర్మ-కుల-సమాజ మర్యాదలను) చెదరగొట్టేవారు, ఇతరుల ఉపాధిపై బతికేవారు, మిత్రుల ఉపకారాన్ని మరచే కృతఘ్నులు—వారు నిశ్చయంగా నరకగాములు.

Word by Word

• सूचकाः: informers, tale-bearers
• सूचकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूचक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सेतुभेत्तारः: breakers of boundaries/bridges (destroyers of established limits)
• सेतुभेत्तारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतुभेत्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परवृत्त्युपजीवकाः: those who live by others' livelihood/occupation
• परवृत्त्युपजीवकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परवृत्त्युपजीवक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अकृतज्ञाः: ungrateful
• अकृतज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकृतज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मित्राणाम्: of friends
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वै: indeed, certainly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• निरयगामिनः: hell-going, destined for hell
• निरयगामिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरयगामिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that betrayal through informing/tale-bearing, breaking dharmic and social boundaries, exploiting others’ livelihoods, and ingratitude toward friends are serious moral offenses that lead to grave karmic consequences (symbolized as going to niraya/hell).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he lists specific harmful character-types—informers, boundary-breakers, exploiters, and the ungrateful—and states their dire fate to warn against such behavior.