Shloka 5

Durgātitaraṇa—Conduct for Crossing Difficulties (दुर्गातितरणम्)

Devanagari script

वासयन्त्यतिथीन्‌ नित्य नित्यं ये चानसूयका: । नित्यं स्वाध्यायशीलाश्न दुर्गाण्यतितरन्ति ते

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | vāsayanty atithīn nityaṁ nityaṁ ye cān asūyakāḥ | nityaṁ svādhyāya-śīlāś ca durgāṇy atitaranti te ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Những ai hằng ngày tiếp đãi khách (atithi) và kính cẩn lưu trú họ trong nhà; những ai không soi mói lỗi người, không ganh ghét; và những ai mỗi ngày kiên trì svādhyāya—tự học, tụng đọc Veda cùng các giáo điển thiêng liêng theo đúng phép tắc—người ấy vượt qua được cả những cơn nguy khốn hiểm nghèo.”

Word by Word

• वासयन्ति: they cause to dwell / they lodge (guests)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वासय् (णिच्) / वस्
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• अतिथीन्: guests
• अतिथीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• नित्यम्: constantly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• अनसूयकाः: non-censorious / not fault-finding
• अनसूयकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनसूयक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• स्वाध्यायशीलाः: habitually devoted to self-study (of Veda)
• स्वाध्यायशीलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्याय-शील
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दुर्गाणि: difficult passages / hardships / crises
• दुर्गाणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्ग
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अतितरन्ति: they cross over / overcome
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-तॄ
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ते: they (those people)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• atithi (guest)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that three steady virtues—honoring guests (atithi-satkara), being free from malice and fault-finding (anasuya), and daily disciplined study of sacred knowledge (svadhyaya)—create moral strength that helps a person overcome even severe difficulties.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira by listing practical marks of righteous conduct and their fruits, here emphasizing hospitality, non-censoriousness, and daily scriptural study as protections in times of danger.