Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31

Brāhmaṇa-mahattva and Atithi-Dharma

Brahmagītā: Praise of Brāhmaṇas and norms of honor

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत अनुशासनपरव्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें श्रीकृष्ण- नारदसंवादविषयक इकतीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

amṛtenāvasiktaś ca vṛṣadarbho nareśvaraḥ | divyaiś ca susukhair mālyair abhivṛṣṭaḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||

Translation

तब नरेश्वर वृषदर्भ को अमृत से स्नान कराया गया और उन पर बार-बार अत्यन्त सुखदायक दिव्य मालाओं और पुष्पों की वर्षा हुई।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'amṛta', 'definition': 'nectar of immortality

• divine ambrosia'}, {'term': 'avasikta', 'definition': 'sprinkled/bathed

• anointed'}, {'term': 'nareśvara', 'definition': 'lord of men

• king'}, {'term': 'divya', 'definition': 'divine

• celestial'}, {'term': 'susukha', 'definition': 'very pleasant

• highly delightful'}, {'term': 'mālya', 'definition': 'garland

• floral wreath (also flowers used for honoring)'}, {'term': 'abhivṛṣṭa', 'definition': 'rained upon

• showered over'}, {'term': 'punaḥ punaḥ', 'definition': 'again and again

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Vṛṣadarbha
• devas (gods)
• amṛta (nectar)
• divya-mālya (divine garlands/flowers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That dāna and dharma, when practiced sincerely by a ruler, attract divine approval; merit is portrayed not only as an inner ethical gain but as something honored by the gods, reinforcing the social ideal of righteous kingship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada describes a celestial honor: the gods bathe King Vṛṣadarbha with amṛta and repeatedly shower him with divine, pleasing garlands/flowers, marking him as a recipient of extraordinary merit.