Shloka 19

भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा

Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors

Devanagari script

“तुम राग-द्वेषसे भरे हुए हो; अतः मोहवश मनमाने ढंगसे रथी-अतिरथियोंका विभाग कर रहे हो ।। दुर्योधन महाबाहो साधु सम्यगवेक्ष्यताम्‌ त्यज्यतां दुष्टभावो<यं भीष्म: किल्बिषकृत्‌ तव,“महाबाहु दुर्योधन! तुम अच्छी तरह विचार करके देख लो। ये भीष्म दुर्भावसे दूषित होकर तुम्हारी बुराई कर रहे हैं। तुम इन्हें अभी त्याग दो

Transliteration

tvaṁ rāga-dveṣena bhṛtaḥ; ataḥ mohavaśaṁ manamāna-dhaṅgena rathī-atirathīnāṁ vibhāgaṁ karoṣi. duryodhana mahābāho sādhu samyag avekṣyatām; tyajyatāṁ duṣṭabhāvo ’yaṁ bhīṣmaḥ kilbiṣakṛt tava.

Translation

Ngươi đầy ắp ái luyến và thù hận; vì thế, dưới sức chi phối của mê muội, ngươi tùy tiện phân loại các chiến sĩ thành ‘rathī’ và ‘atirathī’. Hỡi Duryodhana, bậc đại hùng cánh tay mạnh mẽ, hãy suy xét kỹ càng và nhìn cho tỏ: hãy từ bỏ ý niệm độc ác rằng ‘Bhīṣma đang phạm tội chống lại ngươi’.

Word by Word

• {'rāga': 'attachment, passion, partiality', 'dveṣa': 'hatred, aversion', 'bhṛta (bhṛtaḥ)': 'filled, borne, possessed by', 'mohavaśa': 'under the control of delusion', 'manamāna-dhaṅga': 'self-willed manner

• arbitrary way', 'rathī': 'a chariot-warrior

• a fighter of a certain rank', 'atirathī': 'a superior chariot-warrior

• an elite fighter of higher rank', 'vibhāga': 'division, classification, allotment', 'mahābāho': 'O mighty-armed (epithet of a hero/warrior)', 'sādhu': 'well

• properly', 'samyak': 'correctly

• thoroughly', 'avekṣyatām': 'let it be examined/considered

• look carefully', 'tyajyatām': 'let it be abandoned

• give it up', 'duṣṭabhāva': 'wicked disposition/idea

• malicious attitude', 'bhīṣma': 'Bhīṣma (the Kuru elder and commander)', 'kilbiṣakṛt': 'doing wrong

• culpable', 'tava': 'toward you

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Duryodhana
• rathī
• atirathī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Judgment clouded by rāga (attachment) and dveṣa (hatred) becomes arbitrary and unjust; one should examine matters clearly and abandon malicious suspicions—especially against elders and well-wishers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses Duryodhana, warning that his delusion-driven bias is distorting his assessment of warriors and leading him to suspect Bhīṣma of wrongdoing; Bhīṣma urges careful reflection and the rejection of that hostile attitude.