Shloka 75
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
अमूर्तरयसस्तस्मात्ततो भूमिशयो नृपः । भरतश्नापि दौष्यन्तिलेंभे भूमिशयादसिम्,पूरुसे अमूर्तरया, अमूर्तरयासे राजा भूमिशयने और भूमिशयसे दुष्यन्तकुमार भरतने उस खड्ग को ग्रहण किया
amūrtarayasas tasmāt tato bhūmiśayo nṛpaḥ | bharataś cāpi dauṣyantir lebhe bhūmiśayād asim ||
Bhīṣma said: Therefore, from Amūrtarayas, that king Bhūmiśaya received it; and Bharata, the son of Duṣyanta, likewise obtained that sword from Bhūmiśaya. The verse traces the righteous transmission of a royal weapon through a legitimate lineage, implying that sovereignty and the instruments of rule are to be inherited and entrusted according to dharma rather than seized by mere force.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic succession: symbols and instruments of rulership (like a sword) are to be passed along an authorized lineage, reinforcing that political power should rest on rightful inheritance and ethical continuity, not on arbitrary violence.
Bhīṣma recounts a genealogical transfer: the sword passes from Amūrtarayas to King Bhūmiśaya, and then from Bhūmiśaya to Bharata (Duṣyanta’s son), situating Bharata within a sanctioned royal tradition.