Shloka 19

Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications

Devanagari script

कुर्वते च बहून्‌ मार्गास्तान्‌ हेतुबलमाश्रिता: । सतां मार्गान्‌ विलुम्पन्ति लोभाज्ञानेषु निष्ठिता:

Transliteration

kurvate ca bahūn mārgāṁs tān hetu-balam āśritāḥ | satāṁ mārgān vilumpanti lobhājñāneṣu niṣṭhitāḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：人们倚仗似是而非的诡辩之力，捏造出许多虚妄之道。继而安住于贪欲与无明之中，便开始掠夺并毁坏贤者所立之道——维系社会的达摩界限。

Word by Word

• कुर्वते: they make/do
• कुर्वते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम, बहुवचन

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

• बहून्: many
• बहून्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• मार्गान्: paths/ways
• मार्गान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• हेतुबलम्: the force of reasoning/argument
• हेतुबलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतुबल
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आश्रिताः: having resorted to; relying on
• आश्रिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्रित
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सताम्: of the good/virtuous
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मार्गान्: paths/ways
• मार्गान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• विलुम्पन्ति: they plunder/destroy
• विलुम्पन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-लुप्
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम, बहुवचन

• लोभ: in greed
• लोभ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अज्ञानेषु: in ignorances; in states of ignorance
• अज्ञानेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• निष्ठिताः: standing/settled; abiding
• निष्ठिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्ठित
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• sat (the virtuous/good people)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Greed and ignorance, aided by clever but misleading argumentation, generate counterfeit moral systems and erode the dharmic standards established by the virtuous.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma warns Yudhishthira that people may use the appearance of logic to justify unrighteous ways, thereby undermining the social and ethical order upheld by good persons.