Shloka 48

Devanagari script

एष एव क्रमो हि स्यात्‌ क्षत्रियाणां युधिष्ठिर अष्टधा तु भवेत्‌ कार्य क्षत्रियस्वं जनाधिप,राजा युधिष्ठिर! क्षत्रियोंके लिये भी बँटवारेका यही क्रम है। क्षत्रियके धनको आठ भागोंमें विभक्त करना चाहिये

Transliteration

eṣa eva kramo hi syāt kṣatriyāṇāṃ yudhiṣṭhira | aṣṭadhā tu bhavet kāryaṃ kṣatriyasvaṃ janādhipa ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, this indeed is the proper rule of procedure for the Kṣatriyas. But, O lord of men, the wealth belonging to a Kṣatriya should be apportioned into eight shares.”

Word by Word

एषःthis

एवindeed/only

क्रमःorder/procedure

हिfor/indeed

स्यात्should be/would be

क्षत्रियाणाम्of the Kshatriyas

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhishthira

अष्टधाin eight ways/into eight parts

तुbut/and

भवेत्should be

कार्यम्to be done/required act

क्षत्रियस्वम्Kshatriya property/wealth

जनाधिपO ruler of people

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kṣatriyas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma states a normative rule for Kṣatriyas: their property is to be divided according to an established procedure, specifically into eight shares, emphasizing orderly, dharma-based distribution rather than arbitrary allocation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising King Yudhiṣṭhira on social and royal norms, here specifying how Kṣatriya wealth should be apportioned.