Shloka 112
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
आत्मनाष्टम इत्येव श्रुतिरेषा परा नृषु । उत्पन्नौ बन्दिनौ चास्य तत्पूर्वो सूतमागधौ
ātmanaṣṭama ityeva śrutireṣā parā nṛṣu | utpannau bandinau cāsya tatpūrvo sūtamāgadhau ||
Dijo Bhishma: «Entre los hombres hay un dicho tradicional bien conocido: el rey Pṛthu era, en su propio linaje, la octava generación desde el señor Viṣṇu. Incluso antes del nacimiento de Pṛthu, ya habían surgido para él dos panegiristas profesionales (bardos), Sūta y Māgadha, destinados a proclamar su fama».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how royal legitimacy and ethical authority are framed through revered tradition (śruti) and lineage connected to the divine; it also highlights the cultural role of bards (Sūta, Māgadha) in preserving and proclaiming a king’s dharmic fame.
Bhīṣma explains a traditional account about King Pṛthu’s divine-linked genealogy and notes that two praise-singers, Sūta and Māgadha, were born even before Pṛthu, as if appointed in advance to celebrate his deeds and establish his renown.