Shloka 7

जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः

The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit

Devanagari script

भरद्वाज उवाच यदेतच्चातुराश्रम्यं ब्रह्मर्षिविहितं पुरा । तेषां स्वे स्वे समाचारास्तान्‌ मे वक्तुमिहाहसि,भरद्वाज ऋषिने पूछा--भगवन! ब्रह्मर्षियोंने पूर्वकालमें जो चार आश्रमोंका विभाग किया है, उनके अपने-अपने धर्म क्या हैं? उन्हें बतानेकी कृपा कीजिये

Transliteration

bharadvāja uvāca | yad etac cāturāśramyaṃ brahmarṣivihitaṃ purā | teṣāṃ sve sve samācārās tān me vaktum ihārhasi ||

Translation

Bharadvāja said: “Revered one, in ancient times the Brahmarṣis established the fourfold system of āśramas. Please tell me here the respective codes of conduct and duties proper to each of them.”

Word by Word

भरद्वाजःBharadvaja

उवाचsaid

यत्which/that (what)

एतत्this

चातुराश्रम्यम्the system of the four āśramas

ब्रह्मर्षि-विहितम्ordained by brahmarṣis

पुराformerly, in ancient times

तेषाम्of them (of those āśramas/people)

स्वेin one’s own

स्वेin one’s own (respectively)

समाचाराःproper practices, duties, observances

तान्those (duties)

मेto me

वक्तुम्to tell, to explain

इहhere (in this context/now)

अर्हसिyou should/are fit to (please)

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

Brahmarṣis

Cāturāśramya (four āśramas)

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?

The verse frames dharma as stage-appropriate discipline: each āśrama has its own prescribed conduct (samācāra), and understanding these distinct duties is essential for living an ordered, ethical life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, the sage Bharadvāja asks a revered teacher to explain the anciently ordained four-āśrama system and to detail the specific practices and obligations belonging to each stage.