Shloka 16

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

दिवोदासस्तु विज्ञाय वीर्य तेषां यतात्मनाम्‌ । वाराणसीं महातेजा निर्ममे शक्रशासनात्‌

Transliteration

divodāsas tu vijñāya vīrya teṣāṃ yatātmanām | vārāṇasīṃ mahātejā nirmame śakraśāsanāt ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «El poderoso rey Divodāsa, al comprender el valor de aquellos príncipes de la estirpe Haihaya, dueños de sí mismos, fundó la ciudad llamada Vārāṇasī obedeciendo el mandato de Śakra (Indra)».

Word by Word

• दिवोदासः: Divodāsa
• दिवोदासः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवोदास
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• विज्ञाय: having known
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), having known/ascertained

• वीर्यम्: valor, prowess
• वीर्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• यतात्मनाम्: of the self-controlled (ones)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यतात्मन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• महातेजाः: the great-splendored (one)
• महातेजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातेजस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निर्ममे: made, founded
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्मा
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect), 3rd, Singular, Ātmanepada

• शक्रशासनात्: from/according to Śakra's command (Indra's order)
• शक्रशासनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र-शासन
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Divodāsa
• Haihaya princes (Haihayarājakumāra)
• Śakra (Indra)
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should assess realities—such as the strength and discipline of rivals—and act with foresight; at the same time, legitimate rule is portrayed as aligned with a higher order (here, Indra’s command), suggesting that political action gains ethical weight when guided by discernment and sanctioned authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma narrates that King Divodāsa, recognizing the prowess of the self-controlled Haihaya princes, established the city of Vārāṇasī, doing so in accordance with Śakra (Indra)’s directive.