Shloka 19

Devanagari script

एकान्तेन हि सर्वेषां न शक्‍्यं तात रोचितुम्‌ । मित्रामित्रमथो मध्यं सर्वभूतेषु भारत,तात! किसीका कोई भी काम सबको सर्वथा अच्छा ही लगे, ऐसा सम्भव नहीं है, भरतनन्दन! सभी प्राणियोंके शत्रु, मित्र और मध्यस्थ होते हैं

Transliteration

ekāntena hi sarveṣāṃ na śakyaṃ tāta rocitum | mitrāmitram atho madhyaṃ sarvabhūteṣu bhārata ||

Translation

اے تات! سب کو یکساں اور مکمل طور پر خوش رکھنا ممکن نہیں۔ اے بھارت! تمام جانداروں میں دوست بھی ہوتے ہیں، دشمن بھی، اور کچھ غیر جانب دار بھی۔

Word by Word

एकान्तेनentirely, absolutely (by exclusiveness)

हिindeed, for

सर्वेषाम्of all (people/beings)

नnot

शक्यम्possible

तातdear one, son (address)

रोचितुम्to please, to be liked (by)

मित्रfriend

अमित्रम्enemy

अथand then, also

मध्यम्neutral (the middle one)

सर्वभूतेषुamong all beings

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Bhārata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)

sarvabhūta (all beings)

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 teaches political and ethical realism: a ruler or moral agent cannot expect universal approval, because society naturally contains friends, enemies, and neutrals. Therefore one should act according to dharma and sound judgment rather than chasing unanimous praise.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war. Here he frames a basic social truth—inevitable diversity of interests and attitudes among beings—to guide Yudhiṣṭhira’s expectations and decision-making.