Shloka 24

Nirmaryāda-saṃgrāma-varṇana — The Unbounded Clash and Bhīṣma’s Rallying Presence

Devanagari script

तस्माच्छास्त्र प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ । ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्त कर्म कर्तुमिहाहसि,इससे तेरे लिये इस कर्तव्य और अकर्तठव्यकी व्यवस्थामें शास्त्र ही प्रमाण है। ऐसा जानकर तू शास्त्रविधिसे नियत कर्म ही करनेयोग्य हैः

Transliteration

tasmāc chāstra-pramāṇaṁ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau | jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ karma kartum ihārhasi ||

Translation

కాబట్టి నీకు కర్తవ్యమేమిటి, అకర్తవ్యమేమిటి అనే నిర్ణయంలో శాస్త్రమే ప్రమాణం. శాస్త్రవిధానంలో చెప్పబడిన కర్మను తెలుసుకొని నీవు ఇక్కడ ఆ నియత కర్తవ్యాన్ని చేయవలసినవాడవు.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

शास्त्र-प्रमाणम्scripture as authority/standard

तेfor you

कार्य-अकार्य-व्यवस्थितौin the determination of what should/should not be done

ज्ञात्वाhaving known

शास्त्र-विधान-उक्तम्enjoined/said by scriptural rule

कर्मaction/duty

कर्तुम्to do

इहhere/in this matter

अर्हसिyou ought/are fit

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

śāstra

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?

When deciding between duty and non-duty (kārya and akārya), one should treat śāstra as the decisive authority; having understood what the injunctions prescribe, one should act accordingly.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the war-context discourse, the speaker instructs the listener to resolve moral uncertainty by appealing to śāstric guidance and then to carry out the prescribed action as dharma demands.