Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
यज्वनां सुविशुद्धानां वंशे ब्राह्मणसम्मते । स शूर: क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठोी महावीयों महायशा: । स्ववंशविस्तरकरं जनयिष्यति मानद:
yajvanāṁ suviśuddhānāṁ vaṁśe brāhmaṇa-sammate | sa śūraḥ kṣatriya-śreṣṭho mahāvīryo mahāyaśāḥ | sva-vaṁśa-vistara-karaṁ janayiṣyati mānadaḥ ||
In a lineage of sacrificers, impeccably pure in conduct and held in esteem by the brāhmaṇas, there will arise Śūra—foremost among kṣatriyas, mighty in valor and great in fame. A giver of honor to others, he will beget a son who will expand his line.
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links true nobility to dharmic qualities: purity of conduct, devotion to sacred duty (yajña), recognition by the learned (brāhmaṇas), and the ethical virtue of honoring others. Fame and power are presented as legitimate when grounded in righteousness and social responsibility.
Īśvara foretells the rise of Śūra in a respected, ritually devoted lineage. Śūra is described as an exemplary kṣatriya who will beget a son destined to expand the family line—part of a broader genealogical-prophetic passage (as reflected in the accompanying Hindi context).