Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच रजसा तमसा चैव समवस्तीर्णचेतस: । नरकं प्रतिपद्यन्ते धर्मविद्वेषिणो जना:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca rajasā tamasā caiva samavastīrṇacetasaḥ | narakaṁ pratipadyante dharmavidveṣiṇo janāḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：凡其心识尽为罗阇斯（激情、躁动）与塔摩斯（昏暗、愚蔽）所蒙蔽，因此憎恨并反对达摩的人，必定堕入地狱。

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रजसा: by rajas (passion)
• रजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तमसा: by tamas (darkness)
• तमसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

• एव: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• समवस्तीर्णचेतसः: whose minds are completely covered/overwhelmed
• समवस्तीर्णचेतसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समवस्तीर्णचेतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतिपद्यन्ते: go to / attain
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√पद्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• धर्मविद्वेषिणः: haters of dharma
• धर्मविद्वेषिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मविद्वेषिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• naraka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When the mind is dominated by rajas and tamas, it becomes morally obscured and tends toward hostility to dharma; such dharma-hatred leads to severe negative consequences, described here as falling into naraka.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma continues his instruction on righteous conduct and its opposites, warning that people who, due to inner impurity and delusion, become enemies of dharma meet a ruinous fate.