Shloka 11

Devanagari script

शेषान्नभोक्ता वचनानुकूलो हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञ: | अवैरकृद्‌ भूतहिते नियुक्तो गड़ाह्दाम्भोडभिजनोपपन्न:

Transliteration

śeṣānna-bhoktā vacanānukūlo hitārjavotkṛṣṭa-kṛtākṛta-jñaḥ | avaira-kṛd bhūta-hite niyukto gaṅgā-dāmbho(d)bhijano-upapannaḥ ||

Translation

Der Brāhmaṇa sprach: „Er lebt von den Resten der Opfergabe, spricht gefällige Worte und hält sich an das Heilsame und Gerade. Klar erkennt er, was zu tun ist und was nicht zu tun ist. Gegen niemanden hegt er Feindschaft, bleibt dem Wohl aller Wesen verpflichtet und ist in einer Sippe geboren, so rein und makellos wie die Wasser der Gaṅgā.“

Word by Word

• शेषान्नभोक्ता: eater of the leftover food (from sacrifice)
• शेषान्नभोक्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष-अन्न-भोक्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वचनानुकूलः: speaking agreeable words
• वचनानुकूलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वचन-अनुकूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञः: knowing what is to be done and not done, (being) beneficial, straightforward, and excellent
• हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित-अर्जव-उत्कृष्ट-कृत-अकृत-ज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अवैरकृत्: one who does not create enmity
• अवैरकृत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-वैर-कृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूतहिते: in the welfare of beings
• भूतहिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत-हित
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नियुक्तः: engaged/appointed
• नियुक्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-युज् (नियुक्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गङ्गाह्रदाम्भोदभिजनोपपन्नः: endowed with a lineage like the Ganga-lake-cloud (i.e., pure and lofty-born)
• गङ्गाह्रदाम्भोदभिजनोपपन्नः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा-ह्रद-अम्भोद-अभि-जन-उपपन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (a brāhmaṇa speaker)
• गङ्गा (Gaṅgā river)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse outlines an ethical ideal: a person who lives simply (even on sacrificial remnants), speaks harmoniously, is honest and beneficial, discerns duty from non-duty, harbors no enmity, and dedicates himself to the welfare of all beings—embodying purity and nobility of conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa speaker is describing the qualities of a virtuous person (an exemplar of dharmic character), emphasizing conduct, speech, discernment, and universal benevolence, and reinforcing these virtues by associating the person’s origin with the purity symbolized by the Gaṅgā.