Shloka 2

Kṣātra-dharma as the Public Foundation of Dharma (क्षात्रधर्म-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

सेव्यं तु ब्रह्म षट्‌्कर्म गृहस्थेन मनीषिणा । कृतकृत्यस्य चारण्ये वासो विप्रस्य शस्यते,मनीषी ब्राह्मण यदि गृहस्थ हो तो उसके लिये वेदोंका अभ्यास और यजन-याजन आदि छ:कर्म ही सेवन करने योग्य हैं। गृहस्थ आश्रमका उद्देश्य पूर्ण कर लेनेपर ब्राह्मणके लिये (वानप्रस्थी होकर) वनमें निवास करना उत्तम माना गया है

Transliteration

sevyam tu brahma ṣaṭ-karma gṛhasthena manīṣiṇā | kṛtakṛtyasya cāraṇye vāso viprasya śasyate ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «Para el cabeza de familia prudente, lo que debe cultivarse es el estudio sagrado de los Vedas junto con los seis deberes—como celebrar el sacrificio y oficiar para otros. Y cuando se han cumplido los fines de la vida doméstica, se alaba que un brahmán habite en el bosque, adoptando la vida de retiro y disciplina.»

Word by Word

• {'sevyam': 'to be practiced

• worthy of pursuit', 'tu': 'indeed

• but (emphatic/contrastive particle)', 'brahma': 'the Veda

• sacred knowledge (brahma in the sense of Vedic lore)', 'ṣaṭ-karma': 'the six duties of a brāhmaṇa (traditionally: adhyayana, adhyāpana, yajana, yājana, dāna, pratigraha)', 'gṛhasthena': 'by/for the householder (in the gṛhastha-āśrama)', 'manīṣiṇā': 'by the wise/discerning person', 'kṛtakṛtyasya': 'of one who has accomplished what is to be done

• who has fulfilled obligations', 'ca': 'and', 'āraṇye': 'in the forest

• in a woodland hermitage setting', 'vāsaḥ': 'dwelling

• residence', 'viprasya': 'of a brāhmaṇa

• of a learned priest', 'śasyate': 'is praised

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• gṛhastha (householder)
• āraṇya (forest)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A wise brāhmaṇa should, while living as a householder, devote himself to Vedic learning and the six prescribed duties; after fulfilling household obligations, he is commended to withdraw to forest life (vanaprastha) as a disciplined next stage.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma in the Śānti Parva, he outlines the proper conduct across life-stages, specifically prescribing the householder’s religious responsibilities and then recommending forest-dwelling once those responsibilities are completed.