Shloka 12

Adhyāya 115: On Restraint Under Verbal Provocation in the Assembly (सभायां आक्रोश-सहिष्णुता)

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्ष गुणवादी यः परोक्षे चापि निन्दक: । स मानव: श्ववल्लोके नष्टलोकपरावर:

Transliteration

pratyakṣa-guṇavādī yaḥ parokṣe cāpi nindakaḥ | sa mānavaḥ śva-valloke naṣṭa-loka-parāvaraḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“当面称颂他人之德，背后却诋毁者，在此世如犬一般；于他而言，今世与来世皆毁。”

Word by Word

• प्रत्यक्ष: openly, in presence
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष

• गुणवादी: one who speaks praise (speaker of virtues)
• गुणवादी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुणवादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परोक्षे: in absence, behind (one's back)
• परोक्षे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परोक्ष
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

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

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• निन्दकः: a reviler, critic
• निन्दकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निन्दक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मानवः: man, human
• मानवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्ववत्: like a dog
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्ववत्

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नष्ट: ruined, destroyed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोक: world (state/realm)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परावरः: having (both) the higher and the lower (i.e., this world and the next)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परावर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• śvan (dog)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma condemns duplicity in speech: praising someone to their face while slandering them in their absence is morally degrading and leads to loss of well-being in both this life and the next.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma advises on ethical speech, warning Yudhiṣṭhira against hypocrisy and backbiting by comparing such a person to a dog and stating the spiritual and social consequences.