Shloka 20

उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः

Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting

Devanagari script

भ्रातुर्भार्या च तद्धत्‌ स्थाद्‌ यस्या बाल्ये स्तनं पिबेत्‌

Transliteration

bhrātur bhāryā ca taddhat syād yasyā bālye stanaṃ pibet

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “And the wife of one’s brother should be regarded as one’s own mother—especially if, in one’s childhood, one has drunk milk from her breast.”

Word by Word

• भ्रातुः: of (one's) brother
• भ्रातुः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तद्वत्: likewise; similarly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत्

• स्थात्: should be / should remain
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यस्याः: of whom; whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• बाल्ये: in childhood
• बाल्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• स्तनम्: breast
• स्तनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पिबेत्: should drink
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• brother’s wife (bhrātṛ-bhāryā)