Shloka 61

Devanagari script

सर्वावस्थं॑ त्वमप्येषां द्विजातीनां प्रियं कुरु । इमे हि भूतले देवा: प्रथिता: कुरुनन्दन

Transliteration

sarvāvasthaṁ tvam apy eṣāṁ dvijātīnāṁ priyaṁ kuru | ime hi bhūtale devāḥ prathitāḥ kurunandana ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „In jeder Lage sollst auch du so handeln, dass es diesen Zweimalgeborenen wohlgefällt und ihnen nützt, o Freude der Kurus. Denn auf Erden sind sie als wahrhafte Götter berühmt.“

Word by Word

सर्वावस्थम्in every condition / always

त्वम्you

अपिalso / even

एषाम्of these

द्विजातीनाम्of the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)

प्रियम्what is pleasing / a pleasing act

कुरुdo / perform

इमेthese

हिindeed / for

भूतलेon the earth / on the ground

देवाःgods

प्रथिताःrenowned / well-known

कुरुनन्दनO delight of the Kurus

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Kurunandana (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Dvijātis (the twice-born)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should consistently honor and support the dvijas, treating their welfare as a standing duty; the verse frames them as ‘gods on earth,’ underscoring their religious and moral authority within the dharma system.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war; here he emphasizes continual respect and favorable conduct toward the twice-born as part of righteous kingship.