Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऑपनआ का बा 2 एकपज्चाशर्दाधकशततमो< ध्याय: ब्राह्मणोंकी महिमाका वर्णन युधिषछ्िर उवाच के पूज्या: के नमस्कार्या: कथं वर्तेत केषु च । किमाचार: कीदृशेषु पितामह न रिष्यते,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! संसारमें कौन मनुष्य पूज्य हैं? किनको नमस्कार करना चाहिये? किनके साथ कैसा बर्ताव करना उचित है तथा कैसे लोगोंके साथ किस प्रकारका आचरण किया जाय तो वह हानिकर नहीं होता?

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—ke pūjyāḥ? ke namaskāryāḥ? kathaṁ varteta keṣu ca? kim-ācāraḥ kīdṛśeṣu, pitāmaha, na riṣyate?

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Großvater, wer in dieser Welt ist wahrhaft ehrwürdig? Wem soll man Ehrerbietung erweisen? Wie soll man sich verhalten, und gegenüber welchen Arten von Menschen? Welche Art des Umgangs, mit welcher Art von Personen, führt weder zu Schaden noch zu moralischem Fehltritt?“

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

केwho (plural)

पूज्याःworthy of worship/honour

केwho (plural)

नमस्कार्याःworthy of salutation

कथम्how

वर्तेतshould behave / should conduct oneself

केषुtowards/in the case of whom

चand

किम्what

आचारःconduct, practice

कीदृशेषुamong what kind of people

पितामहO grandsire (Bhīṣma)

नnot

रिष्यतेis harmed / perishes / goes wrong

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: how to recognize those worthy of honor and how to choose appropriate conduct toward different kinds of people so that one avoids harm—socially, ethically, and spiritually.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma (as ‘Grandfather’) and asks for guidance on whom to revere and salute and how to behave toward various people—introducing Bhīṣma’s ensuing instruction on the greatness and proper honoring of the virtuous (notably brāhmaṇas in this chapter’s theme).