Shloka 17
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
Devanagari script
नष्टायां प्रतिपत्तो च मोहवश्या नरास्तदा । लोभस्य वशमापतन्ना: सर्वे भरतसत्तम
Transliteration
naṣṭāyāṁ pratipattau ca mohavaśyā narās tadā | lobhasya vaśam āpannāḥ sarve bharatasattama ||
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“当正见既失，那时的人们在迷妄之下无所依凭；而众人，婆罗多族中最卓越者啊，尽皆落入贪欲的支配。”
Word by Word
नष्टायाम्when (it) was lost/destroyed
नष्टायाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootनष्ट (√नश्)
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
प्रतिपत्तौin understanding/right judgment
प्रतिपत्तौ:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootप्रतिपत्ति
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
मोहवश्याःsubject to delusion
मोहवश्याः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमोहवश्य
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
नराःmen/people
नराः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
तदाthen/at that time
तदा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा
लोभस्यof greed
लोभस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootलोभ
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
वशम्control/power
वशम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootवश
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
आपतन्fell into/reached
आपतन्:
TypeVerb
Root√पत्
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural
सर्वेall
सर्वे:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas
भरतसत्तम:
TypeNoun
Rootभरतसत्तम
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaB
Bharatasattama (Yudhiṣṭhira)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
When discernment (pratipatti) is lost, delusion (moha) takes over, and greed (lobha) becomes the ruling force; ethical conduct collapses because inner clarity is the foundation of self-restraint.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war, explaining how societies and individuals fall into wrongdoing: first by losing right judgment, then by becoming deluded, and finally by being driven by greed.