Shloka 42

अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च

Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच ततो वृक्षौषधितृणमेवमुक्तं महात्मना । ब्रह्माणमभिसम्पूज्य जगामाशु यथागतम्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca

tato vṛkṣauṣadhitṛṇam evam uktaṁ mahātmanā |

brahmāṇam abhisampūjya jagāma āśu yathāgatam ||

Translation

قال بيشما: ثم إن الأشجارَ والأعشابَ الطبيةَ والحشائشَ—وقد تلقتْ تلك التعاليم من ذلك العظيمِ النفس—قدّمتْ لبراهما ما يليق من التبجيل، ثم انصرفتْ مسرعةً عائدةً من الطريق نفسه الذي جاءت منه.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

ततःthen; thereafter

वृक्षौषधितृणम्trees, herbs, and grasses (as a collective)

एवम्thus

उक्तम्spoken; addressed

महात्मनाby the great-souled one

ब्रह्माणम्Brahmā

अभिसम्पूज्यhaving duly honored; after worshipping

जगामwent

आशुquickly

यथाas; just as

आगतम्come; arrived (i.e., as he had come)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brahmā

vṛkṣa (trees)

auṣadhi (herbs)

tṛṇa (grasses)

mahātmā (the great-souled instructor, unnamed here)

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?

After receiving guidance, one should respond with humility and proper reverence—here, honoring Brahmā as the cosmic source—before returning to one’s rightful duties within the established order (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma narrates that the trees, herbs, and grasses, having been addressed by a great-souled figure, worship Brahmā and then depart swiftly, returning as they had come—signaling closure of an instruction episode and restoration of normal order.