Shloka 5

Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna

The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts

Devanagari script

यच्च तस्य हुतं किंचिद्‌ दत्तं वा भरतर्षभ । तपस्तप्तमथो वापि सर्व तस्योपहन्यते

Transliteration

yac ca tasya hutaṁ kiñcid dattaṁ vā bharatarṣabha | tapas taptam atho vāpi sarvaṁ tasyopahanyate ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: Hỡi bậc trượng phu ưu tú của dòng Bharata, mọi lễ vật người ấy đã dâng trong tế tự, mọi của cải đã bố thí, và mọi khổ hạnh đã tu tập—tất thảy đều bị tiêu tan. Tội phá vỡ một lời thệ nguyện trang nghiêm hủy diệt công đức tích lũy từ lúc sinh đến khi tử, khiến mọi việc thờ phụng, bố thí và tự chế suốt đời trở thành vô hiệu.

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever (that which)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• हुतम्: offered (in sacrifice), oblated
• हुतम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु) → हुत (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• किंचित्: anything, something
• किंचित्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् + चित्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• दत्तम्: given, donated
• दत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• भरतर्षभ: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तप्तम्: performed (austerity), practiced
• तप्तम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) → तप्त (क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• अथ: then/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• उपहन्यते: is destroyed/ruined
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-हन् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), Passive (Karmani), Third, Singular

• भरतनन्दन: O descendant (delighter) of Bharata
• भरतनन्दन: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + नन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharatarshabha (address to a Bharata prince, i.e., Yudhishthira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Keeping one’s vow is a central requirement of dharma; breaking a solemn promise carries such moral weight that it can negate the spiritual merit gained through sacrifice, charity, and austerity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he emphasizes the grave consequence of vow-breaking, stating that it destroys the fruits of a person’s lifelong religious and ethical practices.