Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अजुन उवाच अहो त्वयायं विप्रेषु भक्तिराग: प्रदर्शित: । यादृशं पृथिवीभूतं तादृशं ब्रूहि मे द्विजम्‌

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca: aho tvayāyaṁ vipreṣu bhaktirāgaḥ pradarśitaḥ | yādṛśaṁ pṛthivībhūtaṁ tādṛśaṁ brūhi me dvijam ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “Ah! By these words you have clearly shown your devotion and affectionate regard for the Brahmins. Now, if in your knowledge there exists a Brahmin who is like the Earth—steadfastly forbearing and patient—tell me of such a twice-born.”

Word by Word

• {'aho': 'ah!, an exclamation of wonder/admiration', 'tvayā': 'by you (instrumental singular of tvam)', 'ayam': 'this', 'vipreṣu': 'towards/among Brahmins (locative plural of vipra)', 'bhakti': 'devotion, reverent loyalty', 'rāgaḥ': 'affection, attachment, loving inclination', 'pradarśitaḥ': 'has been displayed/shown', 'yādṛśam ... tādṛśam': 'such as ... so also

• of the kind that ... of that same kind', 'pṛthivī-bhūtam': 'earth-like

• having become like the Earth (i.e., patient, enduring)', 'brūhi': 'tell, speak (imperative of √brū)', 'me': 'to me', 'dvijam': 'a twice-born

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Brahmins (vipra, dvija)
• Earth (Pṛthivī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises reverence and affectionate devotion toward Brahmins and elevates kṣamā (forbearance) as a defining virtue—likening the ideal Brahmin to the Earth, which bears all without losing steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna responds to the interlocutor (contextually addressed as Vāyudeva in the accompanying Hindi gloss), acknowledging that the speaker has demonstrated deep regard for Brahmins, and then asks to be told of a Brahmin renowned for Earth-like patience and endurance.