Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

त्वया सत्यार्थिना नित्यं विजिता ज्येष्ठसेवनात्‌

Transliteration

tvayā satyārthinā nityaṃ vijitā jyeṣṭha-sevanāt | kathayanti—ime trayodaśa doṣāḥ śānti-dhāraṇena jitā bhavanti | dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putreṣu te sarve doṣāḥ santi, tvaṃ ca satyaṃ grahītuṃ icchasi; tasmāt jyeṣṭha-puruṣa-sevanena teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ doṣāṇāṃ tvayā jayaḥ prāptaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“因为你恒常求真，所以你以不断侍奉长上而征服了这些过失。人们说，这十三种缺失，凭持守和平与自制便可克服。持国之子诸人皆具此等过失；而你愿意接受真理。因此，因亲近并侍奉贤德的长者，你已尽数战胜它们。”

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana
• Type: Noun/Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• सत्यार्थिना: by (one) seeking truth / truth-seeker
• सत्यार्थिना: Karana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सत्यार्थिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• विजिताः: conquered / overcome
• विजिताः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + जि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (kta)

• ज्येष्ठसेवनात्: from serving the elders/superiors
• ज्येष्ठसेवनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठसेवन
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Dhritarashtra
• sons of Dhritarashtra (Kauravas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Peaceful restraint (śānti-dhāraṇa) and the disciplined habit of serving and learning from elders (jyeṣṭha-sevā) enable a truth-seeker to overcome deep-seated vices; moral victory is portrayed as a result of humility, guidance, and steady inner calm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, instructing the listener in the Śānti Parva, contrasts the faults found among Dhritarashtra’s sons with the listener’s aspiration for truth, praising the listener for having conquered those faults through sustained peace and reverent service to venerable elders.