Shloka 78

Devanagari script

नाच्छिन्द्यात्‌ स्पर्शितां भूमिं परेण त्रिदशाधिप । ब्राह्मणस्य सुरश्रेष्ठ कृशवृत्ते: कदाचन,सुरश्रेष्ठ! देवेश्वर! जिसकी जीविका-वृत्ति नष्ट हो गयी है, ऐसे ब्राह्मणको दूसरेके द्वारा दानमें मिली हुई जो भूमि है, उसको कभी नहीं छीनना चाहिये

Transliteration

na cchindyāt sparśitāṁ bhūmiṁ pareṇa tridaśādhipa | brāhmaṇasya suraśreṣṭha kṛśavṛtteḥ kadācana ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: O lord of the thirty gods, O best of the gods—one should never, at any time, take away from a brāhmaṇa of impoverished livelihood the land that has been granted to him by another.

Word by Word

नnot

आच्छिन्द्यात्should seize/should take away

स्पर्शिताम्touched; (i.e., received/accepted)

भूमिम्land

परेणby another (person)

त्रिदशाधिपO lord of the thirty gods (Indra)

ब्राह्मणस्यof a Brahmin

सुरश्रेष्ठO best of gods

कृशवृत्तेःof one having scant livelihood; of poor subsistence

कदाचनever; at any time

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Indra (Tridaśādhipa, Suraśreṣṭha, Deveśvara)

Brāhmaṇa

Bhūmi (land grant)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler or powerful person must not dispossess a needy Brāhmaṇa of land that sustains him, especially land received as a gift; protecting the vulnerable and honoring lawful gifts is presented as dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Indra with a moral rule: even divine or royal authority should not override the security of a poor Brāhmaṇa’s livelihood by confiscating gifted land.