Shloka 19

Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa

Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life

Devanagari script

तमतिक्रान्तमर्यादमाददानं ततस्ततः । प्रतिषेधन्ति राजानो लुब्धा मृगमिवेषुभि:

Transliteration

tam atikrāntamaryādam ādādānaṃ tataḥ tataḥ | pratiṣedhanti rājāno lubdhā mṛgam iveṣubhiḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：当一个人逾越了玛尔雅达（正当的法度与界限），四处掠夺、强取豪夺财物时，诸王便以严厉的刑罚加以制止——正如猎人以箭矢截断鹿的奔逃。

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अतिक्रान्त: having transgressed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-क्रम्
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मर्यादम्: boundary; limit; propriety
• मर्यादम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्यादा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• आददानम्: taking; seizing
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ततः: from there; thence
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• ततः: from there (again); here and there
• ततः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• प्रतिषेधन्ति: they restrain; they prohibit
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-षिध्
• Form: लट्, Present indicative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• लुब्धाः: greedy; covetous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मृगम्: a deer; an animal
• मृगम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like; as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• इषुभिः: with arrows
• इषुभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• kings (rājānaḥ)
• hunters (lubdhāḥ)
• deer (mṛga)
• arrows (iṣu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Those who violate maryādā by predatory taking and plunder must be checked by the ruler; punishment is presented as a necessary instrument of rāja-dharma to protect society and uphold ethical boundaries.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a wrongdoer who roams about seizing wealth unlawfully; he says kings restrain such a person through harsh penalties, using the simile of hunters halting a deer’s movement with arrows.