Shloka 31
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
स जातमात्रो ववृधे समा: सद्यस्त्रयोदश । वेदं चापि जगौ कृत्स्नं धनुर्वेदे च भारत
sa jātamātro vavṛdhe samāḥ sadyas trayodaśa | vedaṃ cāpi jagau kṛtsnaṃ dhanurvede ca bhārata bhārata |
Bhīṣma dit : «Cet enfant, à peine né, grandit aussitôt, comme s’il avait déjà treize ans. En cet instant même, il récita le Veda tout entier, ainsi que le Dhanurveda, la science de l’arc, ô Bharata.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of integrated excellence: sacred learning (Veda) and disciplined martial knowledge (Dhanurveda) together. It presents extraordinary innate capacity as a sign of destined responsibility, implying that power should be grounded in dharma and learning.
Bhishma describes a miraculous child who, immediately upon birth, grows to the appearance of a thirteen-year-old and instantly recites the complete Veda and the Dhanurveda, emphasizing the child’s superhuman preparedness for a significant role.