Shloka 2

उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः

Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच ज्येष्ठवत्‌ तात वर्तस्व ज्येष्ठोडसि सततं भवान्‌ । गुरोर्गरीयसी वृत्तिया च शिष्यस्यथ भारत

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | jyeṣṭhavat tāta vartasva jyeṣṭho 'si satataṁ bhavān | guror garīyasī vṛttir yā ca śiṣyasya tathā bhārata ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Mon enfant, conduis-toi comme il sied à l’aîné, car tu es toujours le plus âgé parmi tes frères. De même qu’un maître garde envers son disciple une tenue digne, grave et protectrice, ainsi dois-tu te comporter envers tes frères, ô Bharata.»

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'jyeṣṭhavat': 'like the eldest

• in a manner befitting the eldest', 'tāta': 'dear child

• affectionate address', 'vartasva': 'conduct yourself

• behave', 'jyeṣṭhaḥ asi': 'you are the eldest', 'satataṁ': 'always

• continually', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'guroḥ': 'of the guru/teacher', 'garīyasī': 'more weighty, dignified, venerable', 'vṛttiḥ': 'conduct

• disposition', 'yā': 'which', 'śiṣyasya': 'of the disciple', 'tathā': 'so

• in the same way', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharata (addressee, a Kuru descendant)
• Guru (teacher)
• Shishya (disciple)
• Brothers (of the addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The eldest should embody responsible, dignified leadership within the family—treating younger brothers with the same gravity, care, and guiding authority that a guru shows toward a disciple.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana), he addresses a Bharata prince and counsels him to act consistently as the eldest among brothers, modeling his behavior on the revered guru–disciple relationship.