Shloka 17

Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)

Devanagari script

अत्र गाथा यमोदगीता: कीर्तयन्ति पुराविद: । धर्मज्ञा धर्मशास्त्रेषु निबद्धा धर्मसेतुषु,इस विषयमें प्राचीन बातोंको जाननेवाले तथा धर्मशास्त्रों और धर्ममर्यादाओंमें स्थित रहनेवाले धर्मज्ञ पुरुष यमकी गायी हुई गाथाका इस प्रकार वर्णन करते हैं--

Transliteration

atra gāthā yamodgītāḥ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ | dharmajñā dharmaśāstreṣu nibaddhā dharmasetuṣu ||

Translation

ในเรื่องนี้ บัณฑิตผู้รู้ขนบโบราณ ผู้หยั่งรู้ธรรมะ ตั้งมั่นในคัมภีร์ธรรมและในขอบเขตแห่งระเบียบศีลธรรม ย่อมสาธยายคาถาที่พระยมทรงขับร้องไว้ดังต่อไปนี้

Word by Word

अत्रhere, in this context

गाथाa verse, song (gāthā)

यम-उद्गीताsung/uttered by Yama

कीर्तयन्तिthey recount, they proclaim

पुरा-विदःknowers of ancient lore/tradition

धर्म-ज्ञाःknowers of dharma

धर्म-शास्त्रेषुin the dharma-texts

निबद्धाःfixed/established, grounded

धर्म-सेतुषुin the boundaries/bridges of dharma (moral restraints)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yama

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?

Ethical instruction should be grounded in recognized authorities: ancient tradition (purā), dharma-texts (dharmaśāstra), and the established limits that sustain social and moral order (dharmasetu). By citing Yama, the verse frames the coming teaching as a reliable standard of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, while instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, introduces a traditional set of didactic stanzas attributed to Yama. He notes that learned authorities recite these verses, preparing the listener for an authoritative moral exposition.