Shloka 4

Devanagari script

धर्ममूल: सदैवार्थ: कामो<र्थफलमुच्यते । संकल्पमूलास्ते सर्वे संकल्पो विषयात्मक:,इनमें धर्म सदा ही अर्थकी प्राप्तिका कारण है और काम अर्थका फल कहलाता है, परंतु इन तीनोंका मूल कारण है संकल्प और संकल्प है विषयरूप

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | dharmamūlaḥ sadaivārthaḥ kāmo 'rthaphalam ucyate | saṅkalpamūlāḥ te sarve saṅkalpo viṣayātmakaḥ ||

Translation

ధర్మమే ఎల్లప్పుడూ అర్థానికి మూలం; కామం అర్థఫలమని చెప్పబడుతుంది. అయితే ధర్మం, అర్థం, కామం—ఈ మూడింటికీ మూలం సంకల్పమే; సంకల్పం విషయాత్మకమైనది।

Word by Word

धर्ममूलःhaving dharma as its root / rooted in dharma

सदाalways

एवindeed / only

अर्थःwealth / purpose (artha)

कामःdesire (kāma)

अर्थफलम्the fruit/result of artha

उच्यतेis said / is called

संकल्पमूलाःhaving saṅkalpa as their root

तेthey / those

सर्वेall

संकल्पःintention / resolve (saṅkalpa)

विषयात्मकःconsisting of objects / object-natured

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

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?

Bhishma teaches that while dharma leads to artha and artha yields kāma, the deeper common root of all three is saṅkalpa—one’s inner intention. Because intention is oriented toward objects (viṣaya), ethical life depends on disciplining what one chooses to aim at and how one resolves to pursue it.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on principles of righteous living and governance. Here he analyzes the interrelation of dharma, artha, and kāma, shifting the focus from external outcomes to the internal driver—mental resolve and its object-directed nature.