Shloka 21

Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation

Devanagari script

नैव कन्या न युवतिर्नामन्त्रज्ञो न बालिश:

Transliteration

naiva kanyā na yuvatir nāmantrajño na bāliśaḥ

Translation

毗湿摩曰：“不可（视为可托付、可咨议者）唯是幼女，不可年轻女子，不可不谙咒法者，亦不可愚昧之人。”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: indeed/just/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कन्या: a maiden/girl
• कन्या: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• न: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• युवतिः: a young woman
• युवतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युवति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• न: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अमन्त्रज्ञः: one who does not know mantras/ritual formulas
• अमन्त्रज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमन्त्रज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• बालिशः: a fool/ignorant person
• बालिशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बालिश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse stresses discernment in seeking guidance: counsel should be taken from those who are mature, knowledgeable, and wise, not from the inexperienced or the foolish.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and practical governance; here he lists categories of persons regarded (in that traditional context) as unsuitable for giving reliable counsel.