Shloka 37

मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169

Devanagari script

जघान गौतमो राजन्‌ यथा दस्युगणास्तथा । हिंसापटर्घणाहीन: सदा प्राणिवधे रत:

Transliteration

jaghāna gautamo rājan yathā dasyugaṇās tathā | hiṁsāpaṭarghaṇāhīnaḥ sadā prāṇivadhē rataḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Tâu Đại vương, Gautama giết hại các loài hữu tình chẳng khác gì bọn cướp. Không hề có sự kiềm chế đối với bạo lực, ông luôn mải mê trong việc sát hại sinh linh.”

Word by Word

• जघान: slew/killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद) / परोक्षभूत (perfect), प्रथम, एकवचन

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• दस्यु-गणाः: bands of robbers
• Type: Noun
• Root: दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: so/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• हिंसा-पटु-ऋघण-हीनः: skilled in violence, devoid of compassion
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक) + पटु (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋघण (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• प्राणि-वधे: in the killing of creatures
• प्राणि-वधे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणि (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• रतः: engaged/delighting (in)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम (धातु) → रत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Gautama
• King (Yudhiṣṭhira, addressed as rājan)
• dasyugaṇa (bands of robbers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unrestrained violence toward living beings is equated with the conduct of robbers; ethical life (dharma) requires restraint and compassion rather than habitual killing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a man named Gautama whose daily behavior is characterized by roaming and killing like outlaws, emphasizing his lack of restraint and constant intent to slaughter creatures.