Shloka 21

Devanagari script

उक्तो मार्गस्त्रयाणां च तत्तथैव समाचर । जिज्ञासा न तु कर्तव्या धर्मस्य परितर्कणात्‌

Transliteration

ukto mārgaḥ trayāṇāṃ ca tat tathaiva samācara | jijñāsā na tu kartavyā dharmasya paritarkaṇāt ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“当依三种权威所教之达摩之道，丝毫不差地奉行并实践。不可倚仗徒然的争辩与诡辩之理，去‘探究’达摩。”

Word by Word

• उक्तः: said, stated
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त (√वच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मार्गः: path, way
• मार्गः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रयाणाम्: of the three
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• समाचर: practice, follow
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जिज्ञासा: desire to know, inquiry
• जिज्ञासा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिज्ञासा (√ज्ञा)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तु: but, however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कर्तव्या: to be done, ought to be done
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्तव्य (√कृ)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मस्य: of dharma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• परितर्कणात्: from/through (mere) reasoning, from over-argumentation
• परितर्कणात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परितर्कण
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should be lived by adhering to the established, authoritative means of knowing it (the ‘three’ sources/standards referenced in context), rather than being subjected to endless skeptical debate; excessive argument can obscure right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he emphasizes disciplined adherence to the taught dharmic path and cautions against trying to settle dharma through mere contentious reasoning.