Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ब्रह्ममृत्यू ततो राजन्नात्मन्येव समाश्रितौ । अदृश्यमानौ भूतानि योधयेतामसंशयम्‌,राजन! इससे सूचित होता है कि मृत्यु और अमृत-ब्रह्म दोनों अपने ही भीतर स्थित हैं। वे ही अदृश्यभावसे रहकर प्राणियोंको एक-दूसरेसे लड़ाते हैं, इसमें संशय नहीं है

Transliteration

brahmamṛtyū tato rājann ātmany eva samāśritau | adṛśyamānau bhūtāni yodhayetām asaṁśayam ||

Translation

پس، اے راجَن، برہمنِ اَمر اور موت—دونوں اپنے ہی نفس میں مقیم ہیں۔ وہ نظر نہ آتے ہوئے بھی جانداروں کو ایک دوسرے سے ٹکرانے اور لڑنے پر اکساتے ہیں—اس میں کوئی شک نہیں۔

Word by Word

ब्रह्मBrahman (the Absolute)

मृत्यूtwo deaths / Death (dual form used with another entity)

ततःtherefore; then

राजन्O king

आत्मनिin the self

एवindeed; only

समाश्रितौhaving resorted to; resting upon

अदृश्यमानौnot being seen; invisible (two)

भूतानिcreatures; beings

योधयेताम्they would cause to fight; they make (them) fight

असंशयम्undoubtedly; without doubt

Speaker

सहदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sahadeva

King (rājan)

Brahman (brahma)

Death (mṛtyu)

Beings/creatures (bhūtāni)

Self (ātman)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the deepest sources of both liberation (Brahman, the deathless) and bondage/mortality (Death) are internal: they ‘reside’ in one’s own self. Human conflict is thus driven by unseen inner principles—ignorance, desire, fear, and their opposites—rather than merely external enemies.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sahadeva addresses the king and offers a reflective explanation for why beings come into conflict. He frames warfare and mutual hostility as arising from invisible, inwardly rooted forces—Death and the deathless Brahman—operating within living beings.