Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच युधिष्ठिरेणैवमुक्तो भीष्म: शान्तनवस्तदा | इमं॑ श्राद्धविधिं कृत्स्नं वक्तुं समुपचक्रमे,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--(जनमेजय!) राजा युधिष्ठिरके इस प्रकार अनुरोध करनेपर उस समय शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने इस सम्पूर्ण श्राद्धवेधिका इस प्रकार वर्णन आरम्भ किया

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Yudhiṣṭhireṇaivam ukto Bhīṣmaḥ Śāntanavas tadā | imaṁ śrāddha-vidhiṁ kṛtsnaṁ vaktuṁ samupacakrame ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Thus addressed by Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma—the son of Śāntanu—then began to expound in full the complete procedure of śrāddha rites.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaishampayana

उवाचsaid

युधिष्ठिरेणby Yudhishthira

एवम्thus

उक्तःaddressed/said to

भीष्मःBhishma

शान्तनवःson of Shantanu

तदाthen

इमम्this

श्राद्धविधिम्the rite/procedure of śrāddha

कृत्स्नम्entire, complete

वक्तुम्to speak, to describe

समुपचक्रमेbegan, set about

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma

Śāntanu

śrāddha-vidhi (ancestral rite procedure)

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?

The verse frames śrāddha as a dharmic obligation: upon a righteous king’s request, an elder authority begins a complete instruction in ancestral rites, implying that remembrance and ritual responsibility are integral to ethical life.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira has asked Bhīṣma for guidance; Bhīṣma, identified as Śāntanu’s son, now commences a full exposition of the śrāddha-vidhi.