Shloka 12

इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्

Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes

Devanagari script

यच्छेद्‌ वाड्मनसी बुद्धया तां यच्छेज्ज्ञानचक्षुषा । ज्ञानमात्मावबोधेन यच्छेदात्मानमात्मना

Transliteration

yacched vāḍmanasī buddhyā tāṁ yacchej jñānacakṣuṣā | jñānam ātmāvabodhena yacched ātmānam ātmanā ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—బుద్ధితో వాక్కును, మనస్సును నియంత్రించాలి; ఆ బుద్ధిని నిజజ్ఞానదృష్టితో పాలించాలి. జ్ఞానాన్ని ఆత్మబోధతో స్థిరపరచాలి; చివరికి ఆత్మను ఆత్మతోనే వశపరచాలి.

Word by Word

यच्छेत्should restrain

वाक्speech

मनसीthe two (i.e., mind and something paired; here taken as 'mind' in dual usage with vāk as a pair)

बुद्धयाby (means of) intellect

ताम्that (it/her)

यच्छेत्should restrain

ज्ञानचक्षुषाwith the eye of knowledge

ज्ञानम्knowledge

आत्मावबोधेनby self-realization / by realization of the Self

यच्छेत्should restrain

आत्मानम्the self

आत्मनाby the self

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?

A graded inner discipline: control speech and mind through buddhi (discernment), refine buddhi through jñāna (true insight), stabilize jñāna through direct self-awakening (ātmāvabodha), and ultimately let the Self govern the self—so restraint becomes liberation-oriented, not merely suppression.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. This verse occurs in a teaching sequence emphasizing inner mastery—how a ruler or seeker should cultivate self-governance as the foundation for ethical life and lasting tranquility.