Shloka 54

Devanagari script

एवं तु समभिज्ञातामात्रेयीं वा निपातयेत्‌

Transliteration

evaṁ tu samabhijñātāmātreyīṁ vā nipātayet

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Thus, once she has been clearly recognized as Mātreyī, one should cause her to be brought down (i.e., made to fall/laid low).” In context, the line conveys a stern, duty-bound instruction: after proper identification, decisive action is to be taken, emphasizing responsibility and certainty before acting.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• तु: but, however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• समभिज्ञातामात्रेयीम्: Maitreyi who has been fully recognized/identified
• समभिज्ञातामात्रेयीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: समभिज्ञातामात्रेयी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

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

• निपातयेत्: should cause to fall / should throw down / should make (her) fall
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mātreyī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Act only after clear recognition and certainty; once identification is established, one must carry out the required duty decisively, without confusion or hesitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is giving a prescriptive instruction: after confirming that the person in question is Mātreyī, one should proceed to ‘nipātayet’—to have her brought down/struck down—indicating a decisive action conditioned on correct identification.