Shloka 19
Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
Devanagari script
मानसं सर्वभूतेषु वर्तते वै शुभाशुभम् । अशुभेभ्य: सदा55क्षिप्य शुभेष्वेवावतारयेत्
Transliteration
mānasaṃ sarvabhūteṣu vartate vai śubhāśubham | aśubhebhyaḥ sadākṣipya śubheṣv evāvatārayet ||
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“一切众生之心中，善与不善的冲动不断生起。因此，应当常常把心从不善处牵离，只安住于善处。”
Word by Word
मानसम्mind (mental state)
मानसम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमानस
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
सर्वभूतेषुin all beings
सर्वभूतेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootसर्वभूत
FormNeuter, Locative, Plural
वर्ततेexists/operates
वर्तते:
TypeVerb
Rootवृत्
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, Kartari
वैindeed
वै:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै
शुभाशुभम्good and bad (thoughts/impulses)
शुभाशुभम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootशुभ-अशुभ
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
अशुभेभ्यःfrom the inauspicious (things/thoughts)
अशुभेभ्यः:
Apadana
TypeAdjective
Rootअशुभ
FormNeuter, Ablative, Plural
सदाalways
सदा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसदा
आक्षिप्यhaving drawn away/removed
आक्षिप्य:
TypeVerb
Rootआ-क्षिप्
Formल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Kartari
शुभेषुin the auspicious (things/thoughts)
शुभेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootशुभ
FormNeuter, Locative, Plural
एवonly/indeed
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
अवतारयेत्should place/bring down (fix)
अवतारयेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootअव-तॄ
FormOptative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada, Kartari
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhishmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Since both good and bad thoughts naturally arise in everyone, the discipline is to repeatedly withdraw the mind from unwholesome tendencies and deliberately establish it in wholesome ones.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on inner governance: moral life begins with training the mind to favor the good over the harmful.