Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सत्कृत्य परिपृष्ट: सन्‌ सुमहात्मा महातपा: । निजगाद ततस्तस्मै श्रेयस्करमिदं वच:,सत्कारपूर्वक प्रश्न करनेपर उन महातपस्वी महात्मा मुनिने राजकुमार वसुमानसे यह कल्याणकारी वचन कहा

Transliteration

satkṛtya paripṛṣṭaḥ san sumahātmā mahātapāḥ | nijagāda tatastasmai śreyaskaram idaṃ vacaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: Khi được tôn kính đúng mực rồi được thưa hỏi, vị đại hồn, bậc khổ hạnh uy mãnh ấy liền nói với Vasumān những lời đem lại điều thiện tối thượng.

Word by Word

• सत्कृत्य: having honored / after honoring
• सत्कृत्य: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्कृ (धातु) / सत्कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• परिपृष्टः: being asked / questioned
• परिपृष्टः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-प्रच्छ् (धातु) / परिपृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सन्: being
• सन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), nominative masculine singular

• सुमहात्मा: very great-souled
• सुमहात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महातपाः: of great austerity
• महातपाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निजगाद: said / spoke
• निजगाद: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गद् (धातु) (नि-उपसर्ग)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिक-निष्पन्न)
• Form: अव्यय

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• श्रेयस्करम्: beneficial / conducive to the good
• श्रेयस्करम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वचः: speech / words
• वचः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• a great ascetic sage (unnamed in this verse)
• the questioned recipient (tasmai; contextually a prince, e.g., Vasuman in the Hindi note)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical counsel (śreyas) is best received through a proper approach: honouring the teacher, asking sincerely and thoroughly, and then listening to guidance rooted in austerity and moral authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma introduces a didactic moment: a great ascetic, after being respectfully welcomed and questioned, begins to deliver beneficial instruction to the inquirer, setting the tone for a dharma-focused discourse.