Shloka 43

जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः

Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry

Devanagari script

ताम्येयु: प्रच्युता: पृथ्वीं मोहपूर्णा नदीं नरा: । यथा गाधमविद्धांसो बुद्धियोगमयं तथा

Transliteration

tāmyeyuḥ pracyutāḥ pṛthvīṃ mohapūrṇāṃ nadīṃ narāḥ | yathā gādham aviddhāṃso buddhiyogamayaṃ tathā ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า: มนุษย์ผู้ตกลงสู่แม่น้ำแห่งโลกอันเต็มไปด้วยความหลง ย่อมทนทุกข์และอ่อนล้า. ดุจผู้ไม่รู้ความลึกของแม่น้ำ เมื่อก้าวลงสู่ท้องน้ำอันลึกก็ประสบความเดือดร้อน ฉันใดก็ดี ผู้ทั้งปวงที่ไม่คุ้นเคยกับพุทธิ-โยคะ (วินัยแห่งญาณอันจำแนกได้) ย่อมตกลงสู่แม่น้ำโลกอันกว้างใหญ่และเต็มด้วยความหลงนั้น แล้วเสวยความทุกข์ฉันนั้น.

Word by Word

• ताम्येयुः: would suffer / would be distressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: तम् (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-linga, Potential/Optative, 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• प्रच्युताः: fallen down / slipped away
• प्रच्युताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-च्युत (कृदन्त; च्यु धातु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पृथ्वीम्: earth / ground
• पृथ्वीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मोहपूर्णाः: full of delusion
• मोहपूर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोहपूर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नदीम्: river
• नदीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• नराः: men / people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• गाधम्: depth / deep part
• गाधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अविद्धांसः: not knowing / ignorant
• अविद्धांसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-विद्वांस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• बुद्धियोगमयम्: consisting of buddhi-yoga
• बुद्धियोगमयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धियोगमय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: so / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• narāḥ (human beings)
• nadī (river, as metaphor for saṃsāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ignorance of buddhi-yoga—clear discernment and knowledge-guided discipline—causes people to be overwhelmed by moha; like misjudging a river’s depth, they enter saṃsāra unprepared and suffer.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: the world is a vast river filled with delusion, and those lacking discernment step into its depths and experience distress, illustrating why knowledge and right understanding are necessary for liberation and right conduct.