Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ज्ञानवृद्धा मया राजन्‌ बहव: पर्युपासिता: । तेषां कथयतां शौरेरहं गुणवतो गुणान्‌

Transliteration

jñānavṛddhā mayā rājan bahavaḥ paryupāsitāḥ | teṣāṃ kathayatāṃ śaurer ahaṃ guṇavato guṇān

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “O King, I have long attended upon many elders rich in wisdom. From their accounts, I have heard and understood the virtues of Śauri—how the truly virtuous are known by their qualities.”

Word by Word

• ज्ञानवृद्धाः: grown in knowledge, learned
• ज्ञानवृद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञानवृद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पर्युपासिताः: served, attended upon
• पर्युपासिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-उप-आस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• कथयताम्: while they were narrating / of those narrating
• कथयताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural, शतृ (present active participle)

• शौरेः: of Śauri (Krishna)
• शौरेः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौरि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• गुणवतः: of the virtuous/possessing qualities
• गुणवतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुणवत्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गुणान्: qualities, virtues
• गुणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājan (the King)
• Śauri (Kṛṣṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True understanding of virtue is refined through humble service to the wise; the greatness of a virtuous person is recognized through their guṇas (ethical excellences) as testified by reliable elders.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses the king and grounds his forthcoming praise/assessment of Śauri (Kṛṣṇa) in authoritative tradition: he has served many learned elders and has heard from them detailed accounts of Kṛṣṇa’s virtues.