Shloka 45

Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech

Devanagari script

शास्त्राल्लोकाच्च यो बुद्ध: सर्व पश्यति मानव: । असारमिव मानुष्यं सर्वथा मुक्त एव सः:

Transliteration

śāstrāllokācca yo buddhaḥ sarva-paśyati mānavaḥ | asāram iva mānuṣyaṁ sarvathā mukta eva saḥ ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—శాస్త్రబోధతోను లోకానుభవంతోను జాగృతుడై సమస్తాన్ని స్పష్టంగా దర్శించువాడు మానవజీవితాన్ని అసారమని భావించును; అటువంటి వాడు సర్వథా ముక్తుడే.

Word by Word

शास्त्रात्from scripture

लोकात्from the world

चand

यःwho

बुद्धःawakened/wise

सर्वम्everything

पश्यतिsees

मानवःa man/human

असारम्insubstantial, worthless

इवas if/like

मानुष्यम्human existence/humanness

सर्वथाin every way, entirely

मुक्तःliberated, freed

एवindeed, just

सःhe

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?

True liberation arises when a person gains clear discernment from both śāstra (scriptural wisdom) and loka (worldly experience). Seeing the transient, insubstantial nature of human existence, one becomes detached and thus free.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to inner peace after the war. Here he emphasizes that mature insight—formed by study and lived experience—leads to recognizing the impermanence of worldly life and culminates in liberation.