Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
त्रिलोकविश्रुतं वीर॑ भरतं च प्रकीर्तयेत् । गवामयेन यज्ञेन येनेष्टं वै कृते युगे
Bhīṣma uvāca: trilokaviśrutaṃ vīraṃ Bharataṃ ca prakīrtayet | gavāmayena yajñena yenaiṣṭaṃ vai kṛte yuge | trilokīke vikhyātaṃ vīra Bharata-kā nāmoccāraṇaṃ kuryāt, yena satyayuge gavāmaya-yajñasya anuṣṭhānaṃ kṛtam | viśvavijayinī-tapasyā-yuktaṃ śubha-lakṣaṇa-sampannaṃ ca loka-pūjitaṃ parama-tejasvinaṃ mahārājaṃ Rantidevaṃ api kīrtayet |
Bhishma said: “One should celebrate the heroic Bharata, renowned throughout the three worlds—he who, in the Kṛta (Satya) age, performed a sacrifice with offerings made of cow-products. One should also praise the supremely radiant King Rantideva—endowed with world-conquering austerity, marked by auspicious signs, and revered by all people.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges remembrance and praise of exemplary rulers whose greatness is grounded in dharmic practice—sacrifice (yajña), purity, and austerity (tapas)—suggesting that true fame arises from ethical discipline and service to cosmic order rather than mere power.
Bhishma, in his instruction on dharma, recommends that one recite and celebrate the names and virtues of famed kings—specifically Bharata (noted for a Kṛta-yuga sacrifice using cow-products) and the radiant King Rantideva—presenting them as models worthy of commemoration.