Shloka 21

Devanagari script

भूतसर्गमिमं कृत्वा सर्वलोकपितामह: । शाश्वतं वेदपठितं धर्म प्रयुयुजे तत:,सर्वलोकपितामह ब्रह्माने इन समस्त प्राणियोंकी सृष्टि करके उनके ऊपर वेदोक्त सनातनधर्मके पालनका भार रखा

Transliteration

bhūtasargam imaṁ kṛtvā sarvalokapitāmahaḥ | śāśvataṁ vedapaṭhitaṁ dharmaṁ prayuyuje tataḥ ||

Translation

قال بهيشما: «فلما أتمّ جدُّ العوالم كلها (براهما) خلقَ هذه الكائنات، ألزمهم بعد ذلك بالدارما الأزلية كما تُتلى في الفيدا».

Word by Word

भूतसर्गम्creation of beings

इमम्this

कृत्वाhaving made / having created

सर्वलोकपितामहःthe grandsire of all worlds (Brahmā)

शाश्वतम्eternal

वेदपठितम्taught/recited in the Veda; Veda-enjoined

धर्मम्dharma; duty/law

प्रयुयुजेhe applied/ordained/assigned

ततःthen/thereupon; thereafter

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brahmā (Sarvalokapitāmaha)

Veda

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is not a merely human convention; it is presented as an eternal, Veda-grounded order instituted at creation itself. Living beings are meant to uphold this sustaining law as a fundamental responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma explains to his listener that after Brahmā created living beings, he established the Veda-taught, eternal dharma as the guiding rule for their conduct—framing moral duty as part of the structure of the world.