Shloka 18

Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya

Devanagari script

जातिजन्मजरादु:खैरनित्यं संसारसागरे | जन्तव: परिवर्तन्ते मरणादुद्धिजन्ति च

Transliteration

jāti-janma-jarā-duḥkhair anityaṃ saṃsāra-sāgare | jantavaḥ parivartante maraṇād udvijanti ca ||

Translation

ในมหาสมุทรแห่งสังสารวัฏ สรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวงเวียนวนไม่รู้จบ ถูกความทุกข์แห่งการมีร่างกาย—การคุมขังในครรภ์ การเกิด และความชรา—บีบคั้นอยู่เสมอ และยังหวั่นไหวกระสับกระส่ายด้วยความกลัวความตาย

Word by Word

• जाति: by/with (the suffering of) birth-class/condition (i.e., birth)
• जाति: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• जन्म: by/with birth
• जन्म: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• जरा: by/with old age
• जरा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दुःखैः: by/with sufferings
• दुःखैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अनित्यम्: impermanent(ly)
• अनित्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• संसारसागरे: in the ocean of transmigration
• संसारसागरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसारसागर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• जन्तवः: creatures, beings
• जन्तवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परिवर्तन्ते: wander about / keep revolving
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि√वृत्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

• मरणात्: from death / because of death
• मरणात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• उद्विजन्ति: are agitated / fear
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्√विज्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• saṃsāra (worldly existence)
• maraṇa (death)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The core teaching is that embodied life in saṃsāra is inherently marked by recurring suffering—womb-life, birth, aging—and by persistent anxiety about death; therefore one should cultivate detachment, right understanding, and a dharmic pursuit of liberation rather than clinging to transient worldly states.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, reflects on the universal condition of beings trapped in saṃsāra. He describes their continual wandering and agitation, setting a contemplative frame for ethical and spiritual counsel aimed at overcoming fear and suffering.