Shloka 55

Devanagari script

नमां मनुष्या: पश्यन्ति न मां पश्यन्ति देवता: । पापेनापिहित: पाप: पापमेवाभिजायते

Transliteration

na māṁ manuṣyāḥ paśyanti na māṁ paśyanti devatāḥ | pāpenāpihitaḥ pāpaḥ pāpam evābhijāyate ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：“人不见我，诸天亦不见我。”怀此妄念，罪人被罪所蔽，便一再造罪，终只得生于罪胎之中——卑下而有害的恶趣之生。

Word by Word

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

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• मनुष्याः: men, humans
• मनुष्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पश्यन्ति: see
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

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

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• पश्यन्ति: see
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• देवताः: deities, gods
• देवताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• पापेन: by sin
• पापेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अपिहितः: covered, concealed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अपि-धा (अपिधा)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पापः: sinful (person)
• पापः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• अभिजायते: is born, comes into being
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-जन्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• humans (manuṣyāḥ)
• gods (devatāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The belief that wrongdoing is unseen (“no humans or gods are watching”) is itself a sinful delusion that fuels repeated sin; such actions generate karmic consequences, including rebirth in degraded or harmful conditions (pāpa-yoni).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and conduct. Here he describes the inner rationalization of a wrongdoer who imagines secrecy, and he states the resulting moral and karmic downward spiral.