Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 152

ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ-धर्मः — Duties of Elders and Juniors

Anuśāsana-parva 108

Devanagari script

यष्टव्यं च यथाशक्ति यज्ैविविधदक्षिणै: । अत ऊर्ध्वमरण्यं च सेवितव्यं नराधिप

Transliteration

yaṣṭavyaṃ ca yathāśakti yajñair vividha-dakṣiṇaiḥ | ata ūrdhvam araṇyaṃ ca sevitavyaṃ narādhipa ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Que l’on accomplisse des sacrifices selon ses moyens, en offrant diverses formes de dons sacrificiels (dakṣiṇā). Ensuite, ô roi, lorsque le temps de la vie de maître de maison est accompli, qu’on se retire en forêt et qu’on vive selon les disciplines du vānaprastha, l’habitant des bois.»

Word by Word

• यष्टव्यम्: should be sacrificed / one should perform sacrifice
• यष्टव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्, Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Obligative/gerundive (to be done)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• यथा-शक्ति: according to (one's) ability
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)

• यज्ञैः: by/with sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• विविध-दक्षिणैः: with various (kinds of) fees/gifts (as dakṣiṇā)
• विविध-दक्षिणैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविधदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अतः: thereafter / then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः

• ऊर्ध्वम्: afterwards / subsequently
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक)

• अरण्यम्: forest
• अरण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सेवितव्यम्: should be resorted to / should be lived in (served)
• सेवितव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्, Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Obligative/gerundive (to be done)

• नर-अधिप: O king / O lord of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• narādhipa (the king addressed, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in context)
• yajña
• dakṣiṇā
• araṇya (forest)
• vānaprastha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should be practiced in proportion to one’s means: perform yajñas with appropriate gifts (dakṣiṇā) without overreaching, and then, after fulfilling household responsibilities, transition to the vānaprastha discipline—signaling a gradual, orderly movement from worldly duty to restraint and detachment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king on righteous conduct. Here he outlines the life-course (āśrama) progression: first fulfill gṛhastha obligations through sacrifice and giving, then withdraw to the forest as a vānaprastha when that phase is complete.