Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच दुराचाराश्र दुर्धर्षा दुर्मुखा श्वाप्पसाधव: । साधव: शीलसम्पन्ना: शिष्टाचारस्य लक्षणम्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca: durācārāś ca durdharṣā durmukhā śvāpadāḥ asādhavaḥ | sādhavaḥ śīla-sampannāḥ śiṣṭācārasya lakṣaṇam ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“由提施提罗啊，恶人——如同野兽——行止败坏，难以约束，言语刻薄粗厉；而善人则具备德性与品格。现在我将宣说正当礼法（śiṣṭācāra）的标志。”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'durācāra': 'bad conduct

• immoral behavior', 'durdharṣa': 'hard to check/overawe

• ungovernable, insolent', 'durmukha': 'harsh-tongued

• speaking bitterly/abusively', 'śvāpadāḥ': 'wild beasts

• figuratively, brutish people', 'asādhavaḥ': 'the ungood

• wicked persons', 'sādhavaḥ': 'good people

• virtuous persons', 'śīla-sampanna': 'endowed with good character/virtue', 'śiṣṭācāra': 'conduct of the cultured/learned

• proper etiquette grounded in dharma', 'lakṣaṇam': 'mark

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma contrasts the traits of the wicked (corrupt conduct, ungovernable nature, harsh speech—likened to wild beasts) with the traits of the virtuous (good character), and introduces a forthcoming definition of śiṣṭācāra—normative, dharma-aligned conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical life and social dharma, setting up a discussion on the marks of proper conduct by first distinguishing bad and good persons.