Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 10
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
Devanagari script
आपसट्यमानमृक्थं तु सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि भारत
Transliteration
āpasatyamānam ṛkthaṃ tu sampravakṣyāmi bhārata
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多（Bharata）啊，我今将宣说那被人以非义侵夺的继承之事——以虚妄名目夺取的财产——使其在伦理与法度上的含义得以明了。”
Word by Word
आपसत्यमानम्Āpasatya (a name/epithet, addressed person)
आपसत्यमानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootआपसत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अमृक्थम्unmixed, unadulterated, pure
अमृक्थम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootअमृक्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
तुbut, indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
सम्प्रवक्ष्यामिI shall declare / explain fully
सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
FormSimple Future (Luṭ), First, Singular, Parasmaipada
भारतO Bhārata
भारत:
TypeNoun
Rootभारत (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaB
Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Bhishma signals a dharma-based exposition on inheritance (ṛktha), especially cases where rightful property is distorted or seized through false claims. The ethical focus is that ownership and succession must rest on truth and justice, not deception.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he transitions into a specific topic: explaining rules and moral considerations regarding inheritance and wrongful appropriation of ancestral property.