Shloka 47

आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः

Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca

Devanagari script

हन्तास्मै सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि हेतुमात्माभिरक्षणे

Transliteration

hantāsmai sampravakṣyāmi hetum ātmābhirakṣaṇe

Translation

ดีแล้ว—บัดนี้เราจักอธิบายแก่เขาให้ชัดถึงเหตุและหลักนำทางในการพิทักษ์ตน

Word by Word

• हन्त: indeed; well then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हन्त

• अस्मै: to him
• अस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Dative, Singular

• सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will fully explain
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• हेतुम्: the reason
• हेतुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मा: the self
• आत्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभिरक्षणे: in protection; in safeguarding
• अभिरक्षणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभिरक्षण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• the unnamed listener (asmai)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma signals a shift from general counsel to a reasoned explanation: ethical guidance should rest on a clear ‘hetu’ (rationale). Here, the topic is ātmābhirakṣaṇa—how and why one should safeguard one’s own self (life, integrity, and moral agency) within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhīṣma continues advising the inquirer (implicitly Yudhiṣṭhira) and announces that he will now set forth the underlying reason/principle concerning self-protection, preparing the listener for a structured argument rather than a mere injunction.