Shloka 2

Adhyāya 115: On Restraint Under Verbal Provocation in the Assembly (सभायां आक्रोश-सहिष्णुता)

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच श्रूयतां पृथिवीपाल यथैषो<र्थोनुगीयते । सदा सुचेता: सहते नरस्येहाल्पमेधस:,भीष्मजीने कहा--भूपाल! सुनो, इस विषयमें सदासे जैसी बात कही जाती है, उसे बता रहा हूँ। विशुद्ध चित्तवाला पुरुष इस जगतमें सदा ही मूर्ख मनुष्यके कठोर वचनोंको सहन करता है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca śrūyatāṃ pṛthivīpāla yathaiṣo 'rtho 'nugīyate | sadā su-cetāḥ sahate narasyehālpamedhasaḥ (kaṭhorāṇi vacāṃsi) ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “O tagapangalaga ng lupa (maharaja), pakinggan mo ang sinasabi ayon sa kaugalian tungkol dito, gaya ng naipamana. Sa mundong ito, ang taong may dalisay at maayos na isip ay palaging nagtitiis sa mababangis na salita ng taong kapos ang unawa—sapagkat ang pagtitimpi ay lakas ng dharma.”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'śrūyatām': 'let it be heard

• listen', 'pṛthivīpāla': 'protector of the earth

• king', 'yathā': 'as

• in the manner that', 'eṣaḥ arthaḥ': 'this meaning/matter

• this point', 'anugīyate': 'is sung after

• is traditionally recited/repeated', 'sadā': 'always', 'su-cetāḥ': 'one of good/pure mind

• well-intentioned, self-possessed', 'sahate': 'endures

• tolerates', 'nara': 'man

• person', 'iha': 'here

• in this world', 'alpa-medhasaḥ': 'of little intellect

• foolish, shallow-minded', 'kaṭhora-vacana': 'harsh speech

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• pṛthivīpāla (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person of purified mind shows strength through kṣamā (forbearance): he tolerates the harsh speech of the foolish rather than responding with anger, aligning conduct with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses the king and introduces a well-known traditional maxim, teaching how the virtuous should respond to insulting or harsh words in worldly life.