Shloka 3

Śukasya Janma-yoga-phalaṁ — Vyāsasya Tapasā Putrārthaḥ (Śānti-parva 310)

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि इतिहासं पुरातनम्‌ । याज्ञवल्क्यस्य संवादं जनकस्य च भारत,भीष्मजी बोले--भरतनन्दन! इस विषयमें मैं तुम्हें जनक और याज्ञवल्क्यका संवादरूप एक प्राचीन इतिहास सुनाऊँगा

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca: atra te vartayiṣyāmi itihāsaṃ purātanam | yājñavalkyasya saṃvādaṃ janakasya ca bhārata ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «Aquí te relataré una antigua tradición, oh descendiente de Bharata: un diálogo entre Yājñavalkya y el rey Janaka, por cuya sabiduría quedará esclarecido este asunto».

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'atra', 'definition': 'here

• in this context'}, {'term': 'te', 'definition': 'to you'}, {'term': 'vartayiṣyāmi', 'definition': 'I will relate

• I will narrate'}, {'term': 'itihāsam', 'definition': 'traditional account

• ancient narrative (itihāsa)'}, {'term': 'purātanam', 'definition': 'ancient

• of old'}, {'term': 'saṃvādam', 'definition': 'dialogue

• discourse'}, {'term': 'yājñavalkyasya', 'definition': 'of Yājñavalkya (the sage)'}, {'term': 'janakasya', 'definition': 'of Janaka (the king)'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}, {'term': 'bhārata', 'definition': 'O Bharata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yājñavalkya
• Janaka
• Bhārata (addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames instruction through an authoritative ancient dialogue: Bhishma signals that ethical and dharmic clarity will be conveyed by recounting the celebrated discourse between the sage Yājñavalkya and King Janaka, a model pairing of spiritual wisdom and righteous rulership.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a new illustrative episode: he tells the listener (addressed as “Bhārata”) that he will now narrate an old traditional account, specifically the dialogue between Yājñavalkya and Janaka, as a means to explain the topic under discussion.