Shloka 9
Devanagari script
नतु वक्षिन्नयेत् प्राज्ञो गृहीत्वैव करे नरम् । उच्यमानस्तु धर्मेण धर्मलोकभयच्छले
Transliteration
na tu vakṣy nayed prājño gṛhītvāiva kare naram | ucyamānas tu dharmeṇa dharmalokabhayacchale ||
Translation
毗湿摩说道：即便是真正的智者，也不能牵着一个人的手，强迫他踏上达摩之道。然而，若依正理而劝说——援引达摩，甚至借助对世人非议的畏惧——便能促使那人趋向正行。
Word by Word
nanot
na:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna
tubut/indeed
tu:
TypeIndeclinable
Roottu
vakṣiyou will say/speak
vakṣi:
TypeVerb
Rootvac
FormLuṭ (periphrastic future), 2, singular, parasmaipada
nayetashould lead/should induce
nayeta:
TypeVerb
Rootnī
FormOptative (Vidhi-liṅ), 3, singular, parasmaipada
prājñaḥa wise man
prājñaḥ:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootprājña
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
gṛhītvāhaving seized/taken
gṛhītvā:
TypeVerb
Rootgrah
Formabsolutive (ktvā), parasmaipada
evaindeed/only
eva:
TypeIndeclinable
Rooteva
karein the hand
kare:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootkara
Formmasculine, locative, singular
narama man/person
naram:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootnara
Formmasculine, accusative, singular
ucyamānaḥbeing spoken/being addressed
ucyamānaḥ:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootvac
Formpresent passive participle (śatṛ/śānac in passive sense), masculine, nominative, singular
tubut/indeed
tu:
TypeIndeclinable
Roottu
dharmeṇaby/according to dharma; lawfully
dharmeṇa:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootdharma
Formmasculine, instrumental, singular
dharma-loka-bhaya-chalenaby the pretext of dharma and fear of public opinion
dharma-loka-bhaya-chalena:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootdharma-loka-bhaya-chala
Formneuter, instrumental, singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhishmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Dharma cannot be imposed by coercion; the wise should guide through reasoned, lawful admonition, and may also appeal to social accountability (fear of public blame) as a practical means to encourage righteous behavior.
In Bhishma’s instruction on conduct (Anushasana Parva), he explains the limits of moral authority: even the wise cannot compel virtue by force, but they can counsel a person toward dharma using just arguments and socially persuasive considerations.