Shloka 3

Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मवर्चसहीनस्य स्वाध्यायोपरतस्य च । गोत्रमात्रविदो राजा निवासं समपृच्छत,तब ब्राह्मणोचित तेजसे हीन, स्वाध्यायसे उपरत, केवल गोत्र अथवा जातिका नाम जाननेवाले उस ब्राह्मणसे राजाने उसका निवासस्थान पूछा

Transliteration

brahmavarcasahīnasya svādhyāyoparatasya ca | gotramātravido rājā nivāsaṃ samapṛcchata ||

Translation

قال بهيشما: سأل الملكُ عن مسكنِ برهميٍّ افتقدَ البهاءَ المولودَ من العلم المقدّس، وانقطعَ عن دراسة الفيدا، ولم يكن يعلم إلا اسمَ غوترته. ويُبرز هذا المشهدُ أن الاكتفاءَ بهوية الميلاد دون انضباطٍ وعلمٍ ليس إلا اعتمادًا أجوف؛ وأن قيمةَ البرهميّ الحق تُقاس بالسلوك والدراسة والنور الباطن، لا بالغوترا وحدها.

Word by Word

ब्रह्मवर्चसहीनस्यof one devoid of brahmic lustre

स्वाध्यायोपरतस्यof one who has ceased from self-study

चand

गोत्रमात्रविदःfrom one who knows only the gotra (lineage) name

राजाthe king

निवासम्dwelling-place, residence

समपृच्छत्asked, inquired

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

rājā (the king)

brāhmaṇa (a Brahmin)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts genuine Brahminical excellence—marked by svādhyāya and brahma-varcasa—with mere nominal identity based on gotra. It implies that ethical and spiritual authority depends on disciplined learning and conduct, not on lineage-name alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s discourse, a king encounters (or is dealing with) a Brahmin who has abandoned Vedic study and lacks the customary spiritual lustre; the king then asks him where he resides, setting up a broader reflection on true merit and the decline of dharmic standards.