Shloka 7

Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma

Devanagari script

हिंसाविहार: सततमविशेषगुणागुण: । बह्ललीको5मनस्वी च लुब्धो>त्यर्थ नृशंसकृत्‌

Transliteration

hiṃsāvihāraḥ satatam aviśeṣa-guṇāguṇaḥ | bahulālīko 'manasvī ca lubdho 'tyarthaṃ nṛśaṃsakṛt ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，真正残忍的人，是其生涯恒常游走于暴力之中；不能分辨德与恶；欺诈过甚而心志不定；又贪欲炽盛——于是便成了施行无情、非人之举的作恶者。”

Word by Word

• हिंसा-विहारः: one whose roaming/occupation is violence
• हिंसा-विहारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिंसा + विहार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सततम्: always, constantly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत

• अविशेष-गुण-अगुणः: one who makes no distinction between merit and demerit
• अविशेष-गुण-अगुणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविशेष + गुण + अगुण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• बहुलालोक-मनस्वी: one whose mind is much set on outward show/appearances
• बहुलालोक-मनस्वी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुल + आलोक + मनस्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• लुब्धः: greedy, covetous
• लुब्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अत्यर्थम्: excessively, extremely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थ

• नृशंस-कृत्: doer of cruel deeds; perpetrator of brutality
• नृशंस-कृत्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृशंस + कृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Rājan (the King—Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma defines the ethical profile of a cruel person: habitual violence, inability to discern virtue from vice, persistent deceit, lack of mental steadiness, and extreme greed—these traits culminate in ruthless action and moral collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhisthira, Bhishma continues a didactic description of harmful character-types, identifying the inner dispositions that lead a person to commit nṛśaṃsa (pitiless) deeds.