Shloka 55
आदिराज: पृथुर्वैन्यो मित्रभानु: प्रियड्कर: । त्रसद्स्युस्तथा राजा श्वेतो राजर्षिसत्तम:
ādirājaḥ pṛthur vainyo mitrabhānuḥ priyāṅkaraḥ | trasadsyus tathā rājā śveto rājarṣisattamaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “(Now hear further) the names of royal sages: the primordial king Pṛthu Vainya, son of Vena; Mitrabhānu, dear and beneficent to all; King Trasadsyu; and Śveta, the foremost among royal seers.” In the wider context, Bhīṣma presents a revered line of dharmic rulers, teaching that remembering their names purifies the mind and turns one toward righteous conduct.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contributes to a dharmic practice of remembering exemplary rulers (rājarṣis). Their names function as moral models: recalling them is presented as a way to cultivate reverence for righteous governance, generosity, and self-restraint.
Bhīṣma is enumerating celebrated king-sages. This verse names Pṛthu (son of Vena) and a few others—Mitrabhānu, Trasadsyu, and Śveta—as part of a longer catalogue whose recitation is praised.