Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वैश्यानां धान्यधनवाउुछूद्राणामेव जन्मत: । पूज्यतायां च गोविन्दे हेतू द्वावपि संस्थितौ,वैश्योंमें वही सर्वमान्य है, जो धन-धान्यमें बढ़कर हो, केवल शूद्रोंमें ही जन्मकालको ध्यानमें रखकर जो अवस्थामें बड़ा हो, उसको पूजनीय माना जाता है । श्रीकृष्णके परम पूजनीय होनेमें दोनों ही कारण विद्यमान हैं

Transliteration

vaiśyānāṃ dhānya-dhana-vau śūdrāṇām eva janmataḥ | pūjyatāyāṃ ca govinde hetū dvāv api saṃsthitau ||

Translation

વૈશ્યોમાં જે ધન-ધાન્યમાં શ્રેષ્ઠ હોય તે સર્વમાન્ય ગણાય છે; અને શૂદ્રોમાં મુખ્યત્વે જન્મના આધાર પર—વિશેષ કરીને વયમાં મોટો હોય તે—પૂજનીય માનવામાં આવે છે. ગોવિંદની પરમ પૂજ્યતામાં આ બંને કારણો હાજર છે.

Word by Word

वैश्यानाम्of the Vaishyas

धान्य-धनवताम्of those possessing grain and wealth

उच्छ्रूद्राणाम्of the Shudras

एवindeed/only

जन्मतःfrom birth; by birth

पूज्यतायाम्in (the matter of) being worthy of honor

चand

गोविन्देin/with regard to Govinda (Krishna)

हेतूtwo reasons/causes

द्वौtwo

अपिalso/even

संस्थितौare present/are established

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Govinda (Kṛṣṇa)

Vaiśyas

Śūdras

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma explains that social honor is often assigned by different criteria—wealth and prosperity among Vaiśyas, and birth-based seniority among Śūdras—then asserts that Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) possesses both kinds of grounds for reverence, reinforcing his exceptional worthiness of honor.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva’s courtly discourse, Bhīṣma speaks as an elder authority, articulating how people conventionally determine who is ‘most worthy’ in different social groups, and uses that framework to justify why Kṛṣṇa (Govinda) should be regarded as supremely venerable.