Shloka 8

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

व्रतिभिर्बहुभि: कीर्ण तापसैरुपसेवितम्‌ । ब्राह्मणैश्व महाभागै: सूर्यज्वलनसंनिभै:,बहुत-से व्रतपरायण तपस्वी उस आश्रमका सेवन करते हैं। कितने ही सूर्य और अग्निके समान तेजस्वी महाभाग ब्राह्मण वहाँ भरे रहते हैं

Transliteration

vratibhir bahubhiḥ kīrṇaṃ tāpasair upasevitam | brāhmaṇaiś ca mahābhāgaiḥ sūryajvalanasaṃnibhaiḥ ||

Translation

อาศรมนั้นแน่นขนัดด้วยนักบวชผู้เคร่งครัดในพรต และเหล่าตปัสวินก็มาเยือนรับใช้มิได้ขาด อีกทั้งยังเต็มไปด้วยพราหมณ์ผู้ทรงเกียรติ เปล่งรัศมีดุจดวงอาทิตย์และเปลวเพลิงอันลุกโชน

Word by Word

व्रतिभिःby/with vow-observers

बहुभिःby many

कीर्णम्filled, strewn

तापसैःby ascetics

उपसेवितम्frequented, attended

ब्राह्मणैःby Brahmins

चand

महाभागैःby very fortunate/noble (ones)

सूर्य-ज्वलन-संनिभैःby those resembling the sun and fire (in brilliance)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

ascetics (tāpasas/vratins)

Brahmins

āśrama (hermitage, implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds the ethical ideal that disciplined vows (vrata) and austerity (tapas) generate inner power (tejas) and social-spiritual authority, embodied by ascetics and exemplary Brahmins who sustain dharma through their conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a hermitage as densely populated and regularly visited by vow-keeping ascetics and eminent Brahmins, portraying the setting as a concentrated center of spiritual practice and luminous virtue.