Shloka 25

Adhyāya 174: Karma as an inescapable companion (कर्मानुगमन-उपदेश)

Devanagari script

एष धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठ प्रोक्त: पापो मया तव । मित्रद्रोही कृतघ्नो वै कि भूय: श्रोतुमिच्छसि,धर्मात्माओंमें श्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिर!! इस प्रकार यह मैंने तुम्हें पापी, मित्रद्रोही और कृतघ्न पुरुषका परिचय दिया है। अब और क्या सुनना चाहते हो?

Transliteration

eṣa dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭha proktaḥ pāpo mayā tava | mitradrohī kṛtaghno vai kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi ||

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا—اے دھرم کے پاسبانوں میں سب سے برتر! میں نے تمہیں اس گناہگار کا حال بتا دیا جو دوست کا غدار اور ناشکرا ہوتا ہے۔ اب تم اور کیا سننا چاہتے ہو؟

Word by Word

एषःthis (one/this)

धर्मभृताम्of the upholders of dharma

श्रेष्ठःbest, foremost

प्रोक्तःsaid, declared

पापःsinful, wicked

मयाby me

तवof you, your

मित्रद्रोहीbetrayer of a friend

कृतघ्नःungrateful

वैindeed, surely

किम्what

भूयःfurther, again, more

श्रोतुम्to hear

इच्छसिyou desire, you wish

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Yudhishthira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma underscores that betraying a friend (mitradroha) and being ungrateful (kṛtaghnatā) are grave ethical faults; such a person is to be recognized as pāpa (sinful), standing opposed to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma concludes a description of the character of a sinful man—specifically one who harms friends and repays kindness with wrongdoing—and then asks what further topic Yudhiṣṭhira wishes to hear.