Shloka 473

Devanagari script

प्रजापति सार्वभौम॑ कीर्तयेद्‌ वसुधाधिपम्‌ । इनका नाम लेनेवाले मनुष्यके धर्म

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | prajāpatiṃ sārvabhaumaṃ kīrtayed vasudhādhipam | tasya nāma-grahaṇāt puṃsāṃ dharma-artha-kāma-siddhir bhavati | venakumāraṃ nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ pṛthuṃ kīrtayitavyaṃ yasya iyaṃ pṛthivī putrībhūtā prajāpatiś ca sārvabhauma-samrāṭ ca |

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Man soll den Lobpreis jenes souveränen Herrn der Erde feiern und rezitieren, der zugleich ein Prajapati war. Wer seinen Namen nennt, erlangt Vollendung in Dharma, Artha (Wohlstand) und Kama (rechtmäßiger Genuss). Darum soll man Prithu rühmen, den besten der Könige, den Sohn Venas—ihn, dem diese Erde selbst wie eine Tochter wurde und der als Prajapati und universaler Kaiser dastand.“

Word by Word

• प्रजापतिम्: Prajāpati (lord of creatures)
• प्रजापतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजापति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सार्वभौमम्: universal sovereign
• सार्वभौमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सार्वभौम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कीर्तयेत्: should praise/recite
• कीर्तयेत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (कीर्तयति)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वसुधा-अधिपम्: lord of the earth
• वसुधा-अधिपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधाधिप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Prajapati
• Prithu
• Vena
• Prithivi (Earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that remembering and praising an exemplary, dharma-rooted sovereign—Prithu—brings integrated human flourishing: moral excellence (dharma), material stability (artha), and rightful enjoyment (kama). The verse links ethical kingship with spiritual merit through name-recitation and celebration of virtuous fame.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira within the Anushasana Parva, he recommends the kirtana (praise/recitation) of King Prithu, son of Vena, describing him as a universal emperor and Prajapati, and noting the mythic motif that Earth became as his daughter—signifying his protective, nurturing rule over the world.