Shloka 20

Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications

Devanagari script

धर्मस्य द्वियमाणस्य लोभग्रस्तैर्दुरात्मभि: । या या विक्रियते संस्था ततः सापि प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

dharmasya dvīyamāṇasya lobhagrastair durātmabhiḥ | yā yā vikriyate saṃsthā tataḥ sāpi prapadyate ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Khi dharma bị bọn ác nhân bị tham dục chi phối chia cắt và bóp méo, thì bất cứ “trật tự đã định” nào của dharma bị biến đổi, chính phiên bản đã bị biến đổi ấy lại được chấp nhận và noi theo như chuẩn mực đang thịnh hành.

Word by Word

• धर्मस्य: of dharma
• धर्मस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• द्वियमाणस्य: being oppressed/overpowered (lit. being held down)
• द्वियमाणस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि-यम् (धातु: यम्) / द्वीयमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• लोभ-ग्रस्तैः: by those seized by greed
• लोभ-ग्रस्तैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोभ + ग्रस्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• दुरात्मभिः: by evil-souled persons
• दुरात्मभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• या: which
• या: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• या: which (again; whichever)
• या: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• विक्रियते: is altered / is perverted / is changed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + कृ (धातु: कृ)
• Form: Present, Atmanepada, 3rd, Singular, Passive/Reflexive (contextual)

• संस्था: state/condition/institution
• संस्था: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्था
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: thereupon / then / from that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• प्रपद्यते: comes to be / becomes established / prevails
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पद् (धातु: पद्)
• Form: Present, Atmanepada, 3rd, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Greed-driven, unscrupulous people can distort dharma so thoroughly that the distorted version becomes socially accepted as the new ‘normal’; therefore one must be vigilant about how moral norms are reshaped by selfish interests.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and governance, Bhīṣma warns that when society is dominated by greed and bad character, established standards of dharma get modified, and those modifications quickly become the prevailing practice.