Shloka 21

Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa

Devanagari script

अज्ञानप्रभवो लोभो भूतानां दृश्यते सदा । अस्थिरत्वं च भोगानां दृष्टवा ज्ञात्वा निवर्तते

Transliteration

ajñānaprabhavo lobho bhūtānāṃ dṛśyate sadā | asthiratvaṃ ca bhogānāṃ dṛṣṭvā jñātvā nivartate ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：由无明而生的贪欲，众生之中恒常可见。然若能明见并了知诸欲乐之不稳与迅速消逝，贪欲便会止息，心亦回转而远离之。

Word by Word

• अज्ञान-प्रभवः: arising from ignorance
• अज्ञान-प्रभवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञानप्रभव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोभः: greed
• लोभः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• दृश्यते: is seen/observed
• दृश्यते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Passive

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• अस्थिरत्वम्: instability/impermanence
• अस्थिरत्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थिरत्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• भोगानाम्: of enjoyments/pleasures
• भोगानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा), Active

• ज्ञात्वा: having known/understood
• ज्ञात्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा), Active

• निवर्तते: desists/turns back (from it)
• निवर्तते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वृत्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bhūtāni (living beings)
• bhogāḥ (sense-enjoyments)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Greed arises from ignorance. When a person gains discernment by seeing and understanding that pleasures are unstable and short-lived, the mind naturally withdraws and greed diminishes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues his ethical teaching, diagnosing the root of human craving (ignorance) and prescribing insight into the impermanence of enjoyments as the remedy.