Shloka 111

Devanagari script

विंशकश्नैष संघातो महाभूतानि पठ्च च । सदसद्धावयोगौ तु गुणावन्यौ प्रकाशकौ,इन बीस गुणोंका समुदाय एवं पाँच महाभूत तथा सद्भावयोग5 और असद्धभावयोगर-- ये दो अन्य प्रकाशक गुण, ये सब मिलकर सत्ताईस हैं

Transliteration

viṁśakaś cāyaṁ saṅghāto mahābhūtāni pañca ca | sadasadbhāvayogau tu guṇāv anyau prakāśakau | etaiḥ sarvaiḥ samāyuktāḥ saptaviṁśatir ucyate ||

Translation

ان بیس گُنوں کا یہ مجموعہ، پانچ مہابھوت، اور ‘سدبھاو-یوگ’ و ‘اسدبھاو-یوگ’—یہ دو مزید روشن کرنے والے گُن—یہ سب مل کر ستائیس کہلاتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

विंशकःa group of twenty (twentyfold set)

एषःthis

संघातःcollection, aggregate

महाभूतानिthe great elements

पञ्चfive

चand

सत्being, the real

असत्non-being, the unreal

भावयोगौthe two connections/associations with states (bhāva)

तुbut, indeed

गुणौtwo qualities

अन्यौother, distinct (two)

प्रकाशकौilluminating, manifesting (two)

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

mahābhūta (five great elements)

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?

Bhishma enumerates a doctrinal count: twenty principles, plus the five great elements, plus two additional ‘illuminating’ linkages (association with being and with non-being), yielding twenty-seven. The ethical aim is discernment—seeing the person and the world as a composite of knowable factors rather than as the true Self—supporting detachment and liberation-oriented conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues a philosophical exposition to Yudhishthira, using numerical classification of principles to make the structure of experience intelligible and to guide the listener toward right understanding and renunciation.