Shloka 20

चिरकारि-उपाख्यानम् / The Exemplum of Cirakārī: Deliberation Before Irreversible Action

Devanagari script

यवन्यैर्विह्िितं नेच्छेदात्मन: कर्म पूरुष: । न तत्‌ परेषु कुर्वीत जानन्नप्रियमात्मन:

Transliteration

yad anyair vihitaṁ necched ātmanaḥ karma pūruṣaḥ | na tat pareṣu kurvīta jānann apriyam ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“人不应希求他人强加于己、而自己又不愿承受的那种对待。既知何者令自身不快，便不应以同样方式对待他人；因为令自己厌恶之事，决不可能真正取悦他人。”

Word by Word

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अन्यैः: by others
• अन्यैः: Karana
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• विहितम्: done/ordained/performed
• विहितम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• इच्छेत्: should desire/wish
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• आत्मनः: for oneself/of oneself
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कर्म: act/behavior
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पूरुषः: a man/person
• पूरुषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• तत्: that (same thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परेषु: towards/in the case of others
• परेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• कुर्वीत: should do/should act
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• जानन्: knowing
• जानन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अप्रियम्: unpleasant/disliked
• अप्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अप्रिय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मनः: for oneself/of oneself
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

It teaches the principle of reciprocity in dharma: recognizing what is unpleasant to oneself, one should refrain from treating others in the same harmful or unwanted way.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct after the war; here he gives a concise ethical rule for interpersonal behavior grounded in empathy and self-awareness.