Shloka 79

Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

सौक्ष्म्यं सांख्यक्रमौ चोभौ निर्णय: सप्रयोजन: । पज्चैतान्यर्थजातानि वाक्यमित्युच्यते नृप

Transliteration

saukṣmyaṁ sāṅkhyakramau cobhau nirṇayaḥ saprayojanaḥ | pañcaitāny arthajātāni vākyam ity ucyate nṛpa ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า: ข้าแต่มหาราช วากยะอันสมบูรณ์พึงมีความหมายห้าประการ คือ ความละเอียดแม่นยำ (เสากษมยะ) การแจกแจงวิเคราะห์ (สางขยะ) ลำดับที่ถูกต้อง ความวินิจฉัยชัดเจน และจุดมุ่งหมาย

Word by Word

• सौक्ष्म्यम्: subtlety
• सौक्ष्म्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौक्ष्म्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सांख्य: enumeration/numbering
• सांख्य: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• क्रमौ: two sequences/steps
• क्रमौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

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

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• निर्णयः: ascertainment/decision
• निर्णयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्णय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सप्रयोजनः: having a purpose; purposeful
• सप्रयोजनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-प्रयोजन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• अर्थजातानि: classes/kinds of meaning
• अर्थजातानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थजात
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• वाक्यम्: a sentence/statement
• वाक्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• उच्यते: is said/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Singular

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• nṛpa (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A meaningful and ethically useful statement should not be vague or aimless; it should convey (1) subtle precision, (2) analytic clarity through enumeration/classification, (3) orderly progression, (4) a definite conclusion, and (5) a practical purpose. Such speech supports right understanding and right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma continues his didactic guidance, explaining standards for sound discourse—how speech should be structured so that it becomes a reliable vehicle for teaching dharma and policy.