Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अकूजनेन चेन्मोक्षो नावकूजेत्‌ कथंचन । अवश्यं कूजितव्ये वा शड्केरन्‌ वाप्पकूजनात्‌

Transliteration

akūjanena cenmokṣo nāvakūjet kathaṃcana | avaśyaṃ kūjitavye vā śaṅkeran vāppakūjanāt ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า—หากความหลุดพ้นจะได้มาด้วยการไม่ร้องตะโกน ก็ไม่พึงร้องตะโกนไม่ว่าในกรณีใด. แต่ถ้าการร้องตะโกนเป็นสิ่งที่หลีกเลี่ยงไม่ได้ ก็ไม่พึงหวั่นไหวหรือสงสัยเพราะเสียงร้องนั้น.

Word by Word

अकूजनेनby (means of) not cooing / by silence

चेत्if

मोक्षःliberation

नnot

अवकूजेत्should coo / should make a sound

कथंचनin any way; at all

अवश्यम्necessarily; certainly

कूजितव्येwhen cooing is to be done / in the case of having to make a sound

वाor

शङ्केरन्they might suspect; they should suspect

वाor

अपकूजनात्from (the act of) not cooing / from silence

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?

Bhīṣma frames a practical ethical point: if mere silence were sufficient for liberation, one should always remain silent; but since expression can be inevitable in life, one should not fall into scruples or anxiety about an unavoidable utterance. The emphasis is on realistic discipline rather than rigid, fear-driven restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses a compact, proverbial argument about silence versus unavoidable speech/crying out to guide the king toward balanced, non-anxious ethical practice.