Shloka 19

Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa

Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life

Devanagari script

तमतिक्रान्तमर्यादमाददानं ततस्ततः । प्रतिषेधन्ति राजानो लुब्धा मृगमिवेषुभि:

Transliteration

tam atikrāntamaryādam ādādānaṃ tataḥ tataḥ | pratiṣedhanti rājāno lubdhā mṛgam iveṣubhiḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Khi một người vượt quá giới hạn của maryādā (khuôn phép chính đáng) và cứ cướp bóc, vơ vét của cải khắp nơi, thì các bậc vương giả sẽ dùng hình phạt nghiêm khắc để ngăn chặn hắn—như thợ săn dùng mũi tên chặn đường chạy của con nai.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अतिक्रान्त: having transgressed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-क्रम्
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मर्यादम्: boundary; limit; propriety
• मर्यादम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्यादा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आददानम्: taking; seizing
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: from there; thence
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ततः: from there (again); here and there
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• प्रतिषेधन्ति: they restrain; they prohibit
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-षिध्
• Form: लट्, Present indicative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• लुब्धाः: greedy; covetous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मृगम्: a deer; an animal
• मृगम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like; as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• इषुभिः: with arrows
• इषुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• kings (rājānaḥ)
• hunters (lubdhāḥ)
• deer (mṛga)
• arrows (iṣu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Those who violate maryādā by predatory taking and plunder must be checked by the ruler; punishment is presented as a necessary instrument of rāja-dharma to protect society and uphold ethical boundaries.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a wrongdoer who roams about seizing wealth unlawfully; he says kings restrain such a person through harsh penalties, using the simile of hunters halting a deer’s movement with arrows.