Shloka 141

Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

इतिहासाश्ष वेदाश्न न्याय: कृत्स्नश्न वर्णित: । तपो ज्ञानमहिंसा च सत्यासत्येन य: पर:

Transliteration

itihāsāś ca vedāś ca nyāyaḥ kṛtsnaś ca varṇitaḥ | tapo jñānam ahiṃsā ca satyāsatyena yaḥ paraḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Trong luận thư ấy, Itihāsa và các Veda được trình bày đầy đủ, và toàn bộ phép biện luận Nyāya cũng vậy. Lại còn giảng về khổ hạnh (tapas), tri kiến chân thật, và bất bạo hại (ahiṃsā)—cùng nguyên lý tối thượng vượt lên trên cả chân và ngụy.”

Word by Word

• इतिहासाः: histories/itihasas
• इतिहासाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वेदाः: Vedas
• वेदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न्यायः: logic/jurisprudence (nyaya)
• न्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृत्स्नः: entire/complete
• कृत्स्नः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वर्णितः: is described/has been described
• वर्णितः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्णित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (PPP)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अहिंसा: non-violence
• अहिंसा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहिंसा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सत्यासत्येन: by/with truth-and-untruth
• सत्यासत्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यासत्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यः: who/which
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परः: beyond/superior (to)
• परः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma praises a comprehensive dharma-teaching text as encompassing scriptural revelation (Veda), traditional authoritative narrative (Itihāsa), and rational inquiry (Nyāya), while also grounding conduct in tapas, jñāna, and ahiṃsā, and pointing to a highest reality that transcends ordinary dualities like truth and falsehood.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by describing the scope of a revered compendium of dharma and wisdom, emphasizing that it contains both doctrinal sources and ethical disciplines.