Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पायसं सर्पिषा मिश्रं द्विजेभ्यो यः प्रयच्छति । गृहं तस्य न रक्षांसि धर्षयन्ति कदाचन,जो ब्राह्मणोंको घृतमिश्रित खीर देता है, उसके घरपर कभी राक्षसोंका आक्रमण नहीं होता

Transliteration

pāyasaṁ sarpiṣā miśraṁ dvijebhyo yaḥ prayacchati | gṛhaṁ tasya na rakṣāṁsi dharṣayanti kadācana ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: Whoever offers to the twice-born (dvija) rice-pudding (pāyasa) mixed with ghee—his household is never assailed by rākṣasas.

Word by Word

पायसम्rice-pudding, sweet milk-rice

सर्पिषाwith ghee

मिश्रम्mixed

द्विजेभ्यःto the twice-born (Brahmins)

यःwho

प्रयच्छतिgives, bestows

गृहम्house, home

तस्यof him, his

नnot

रक्षांसिdemons, rākṣasas

धर्षयन्तिassault, attack, violate

कदाचनever, at any time

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

dvija (Brahmins)

pāyasa (rice-pudding)

sarpis (ghee)

rakṣāṁsi (rākṣasas)

gṛha (household)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dāna performed with reverence—especially nourishing, auspicious food offered to worthy Brahmin recipients—is presented as dharmic conduct that brings protective merit, symbolized as freedom from rākṣasa-like harms to one’s home.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he states a specific fruit of a particular gift: offering ghee-mixed pāyasa to dvijas results in the donor’s household not being attacked by rākṣasas, illustrating the text’s broader theme of the benefits of righteous giving.