Shloka 60

Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā

Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative

Devanagari script

नासम्यक्‌ कृतकारी स्यादप्रमत्त: सदा भवेत्‌ | कण्टको<पि हि दुश्छिन्नो विकारं कुरुते चिरम्‌

Transliteration

nāsamyak kṛtakārī syād apramattaḥ sadā bhavet | kaṇṭako 'pi hi duśchinnaḥ vikāraṃ kurute ciram ||

Translation

Wika ni Bhīṣma: Huwag iwan ang isang gawain nang hindi ito natatapos nang wasto, at manatiling mapagmatyag sa lahat ng oras. Sapagkat kahit tinik, kapag mali ang pagkakabunot at may naiwang piraso sa loob, nagdudulot ito ng gulo at sakit sa mahabang panahon. Itinuturo nito ang pagiging masinop at ang tuloy-tuloy na pag-iingat, sapagkat ang munting latak ng kapabayaan ay maaaring lumaki at maging pangmatagalang pinsala.

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'asamyak': 'improperly

• not thoroughly', 'kṛta-kārī': 'one who performs/finishes what is undertaken

• a doer who completes', 'syāt': 'should be

• may be', 'apramattaḥ': 'careful

• not negligent', 'sadā': 'always', 'bhavet': 'should be

• should become/remain', 'kaṇṭakaḥ': 'thorn

• splinter', 'api': 'even', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'duśchinnaḥ': 'badly cut/removed

• incompletely extracted', 'vikāram': 'disorder

• harmful change', 'kurute': 'causes

• does', 'ciram': 'for a long time'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• thorn (kaṇṭaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Finish what you undertake with proper thoroughness and remain constantly vigilant; partial or careless completion leaves harmful remnants that can cause long-lasting trouble.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous conduct and practical governance/ethics, using the example of an incompletely removed thorn to illustrate how negligence in small matters leads to enduring harm.