Shloka 473
प्रजापति सार्वभौम॑ कीर्तयेद् वसुधाधिपम् । इनका नाम लेनेवाले मनुष्यके धर्म
bhīṣma uvāca | prajāpatiṃ sārvabhaumaṃ kīrtayed vasudhādhipam | tasya nāma-grahaṇāt puṃsāṃ dharma-artha-kāma-siddhir bhavati | venakumāraṃ nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ pṛthuṃ kīrtayitavyaṃ yasya iyaṃ pṛthivī putrībhūtā prajāpatiś ca sārvabhauma-samrāṭ ca |
Bhishma dit : « Il faut célébrer et réciter la louange de ce souverain maître de la terre, qui fut aussi un Prajapati. En prononçant son nom, les hommes obtiennent l’accomplissement du dharma, de l’artha (prospérité) et du kama (jouissance légitime). C’est pourquoi il convient d’exalter Prithu, le meilleur des rois, fils de Vena : celui pour qui cette Terre même devint comme une fille, et qui se tint comme Prajapati et empereur universel. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that remembering and praising an exemplary, dharma-rooted sovereign—Prithu—brings integrated human flourishing: moral excellence (dharma), material stability (artha), and rightful enjoyment (kama). The verse links ethical kingship with spiritual merit through name-recitation and celebration of virtuous fame.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira within the Anushasana Parva, he recommends the kirtana (praise/recitation) of King Prithu, son of Vena, describing him as a universal emperor and Prajapati, and noting the mythic motif that Earth became as his daughter—signifying his protective, nurturing rule over the world.