Shloka 2

Gārhasthya-dharma: Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī-saṃvāda

Householder Duties and Daily Offerings

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि पुरावृत्तं जनाधिप । वासुदेवस्य संवाद पृथिव्याश्वैव भारत

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣyāmi purāvṛttaṁ janādhipa | vāsudevasya saṁvādaṁ pṛthivyāś caiva bhārata ||

Translation

ভীষ্ম বললেন—হে নরাধিপ, হে ভারত! এ বিষয়ে আমি তোমাকে এক প্রাচীন কাহিনি বলছি—বাসুদেব (শ্রীকৃষ্ণ) ও পৃথিবী দেবীর সংলাপ।

Word by Word

• {'atra': 'here

• in this matter/context', 'te': 'to you', 'vartayiṣyāmi': 'I shall relate

• I shall narrate', 'purāvṛttam': 'ancient account

• old episode/tradition', 'janādhipa': 'lord of people

• king', 'vāsudevasya': 'of Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)', 'saṁvādam': 'dialogue

• conversation', 'pṛthivyāḥ': 'of the Earth (Pṛthivī)', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• and also', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Janādhipa (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira as Bharata-descendant)
• Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse signals that Bhishma will ground his instruction in a revered ancient dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and the Earth, implying that dharma and ethical governance are aligned with both divine wisdom and the welfare of the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a new illustrative episode: he tells the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) that he will narrate an old account, specifically a conversation between Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) and Pṛthivī (Earth), as a preface to the forthcoming counsel.