Shloka 13

Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154

Devanagari script

सर्वेण खलु मर्तव्यं मर्त्यलोके प्रसूयता । कृतान्तविहिते मार्गे मृतं को जीवयिष्यति

Transliteration

sarveṇa khalu martavyaṃ martyaloke prasūyatā | kṛtāntavihite mārge mṛtaṃ ko jīvayiṣyati ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“诚然，凡生于此有死之世者，终有一日必死。既已循时间所敕定之路而死，谁又能使死者复生？”

Word by Word

• सर्वेण: by everyone / by all (i.e., by every being)
• सर्वेण: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्व-)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• खलु: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: खलु

• मर्तव्यम्: must die / is to be died
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: Gerundive (तव्यत्), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, Obligation/necessity

• मर्त्यलोके: in the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्यलोक (मर्त्य + लोक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्रसूयता: by one who is born / by the born (being)
• प्रसूयता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रसू (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कृतान्तविहिते: on/within the path ordained by Death (Time/Fate)
• कृतान्तविहिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतान्तविहित (कृतान्त + विहित)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मार्गे: on the path
• मार्गे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मृतम्: the dead (one) / one who has died
• मृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (मृ धातु से क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क (किम्-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जीवयिष्यति: will make (him) live / will revive
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु) / causative जीवय-
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative (णिच्)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• martyaloka
• kṛtānta (Death/Time)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All who are born must die; death follows the ordained course of Time (kṛtānta/kāla). Since no one can revive the dead, wisdom lies in accepting mortality and aligning one’s response—especially grief—with the universal order (dharma) rather than resisting the inevitable.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma addresses the realities of human suffering after catastrophic loss. He frames death as universal and governed by kṛtānta (Death/Time), offering a consolatory, ethical perspective meant to steady the listener’s mind and guide conduct amid bereavement.