Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अपना | अं चतुरशीतितमो< ध्याय: भीष्मजीका अपने पिता ४ कह के हाथमें पिण्ड न देकर कुशपर देना

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | uktaṃ pitāmahenedaṃ gavāṃ dānam anuttamam | viśeṣeṇa narendrāṇām iha dharmam avekṣatām |

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Abuelo, has descrito este don incomparable de vacas—una ofrenda destinada a todos los hombres, y en especial a los reyes de aquí que mantienen la mirada fija en el dharma».

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• उक्तम्: spoken, said
• उक्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पितामहेन: by (the) grandsire (Bhīṣma)
• पितामहेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गवाम्: of cows
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• दानम्: gift, donation
• दानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विशेषेण: especially
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष

• नरेन्द्राणाम्: of kings (lords of men)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• इह: here, in this context
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवेक्षताम्: let (them) consider/observe
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + ईक्ष्
• Form: Present, Imperative, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)
• cows (go/gavām)
• kings (narendra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames go-dāna (the gift of cows) as an unsurpassed form of charity and highlights that rulers, more than others, should practice and uphold dharma through exemplary giving.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira responds to Bhīṣma’s instruction, acknowledging Bhīṣma’s teaching on the supreme merit of gifting cows and emphasizing its special relevance for kings devoted to righteous governance.