Shloka 41

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

स तं पुरोधाय सुखमवसद्‌ भरतर्षभ | राज्यं शशास धर्मेण प्रजाश्न॒ परिपालयन्‌,भरतश्रेष्ठी ऋषिको पुरोहित बनाकर वह राजा सुखपूर्वक रहने और धर्मपूर्वक प्रजाका पालन करते हुए राज्यका शासन करने लगा

Transliteration

sa taṃ purodhāya sukham avasad bharatarṣabha | rājyaṃ śaśāsa dharmeṇa prajāś ca paripālayan ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O bull among the Bharatas, having appointed him as his family priest, that king lived in comfort and proceeded to govern the kingdom in accordance with dharma, protecting and nurturing his subjects.”

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरोधाय: having placed in front / having appointed as purohita
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस् + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• सुखम्: happily / in comfort
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अवसत्: dwelt / lived
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राज्यम्: the kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शशास: ruled / governed
• Type: Verb
• Root: शास् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्मेण: by righteousness / according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रजाः: the subjects
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• परिपालयन्: protecting / maintaining
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + पाल् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• a king (unnamed in this verse)
• purohita (royal priest)
• Bharatas (dynastic reference)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s legitimacy and well-being rest on dharmic governance: appointing a competent purohita for guidance, ruling by righteousness, and actively protecting and sustaining the people.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a king who, after appointing a priest-counselor (purohita), lives peacefully and administers the kingdom according to dharma while safeguarding his subjects.