Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

शेषान्नभोक्ता वचनानुकूलो हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञ: | अवैरकृद्‌ भूतहिते नियुक्तो गड़ाह्दाम्भोडभिजनोपपन्न:

Transliteration

śeṣānna-bhoktā vacanānukūlo hitārjavotkṛṣṭa-kṛtākṛta-jñaḥ | avaira-kṛd bhūta-hite niyukto gaṅgā-dāmbho(d)bhijano-upapannaḥ ||

Translation

ब्राह्मण ने कहा— वह यज्ञशेष अन्न का भोजन करता है, अनुकूल वचन बोलता है और हितकर तथा सरल मार्ग में स्थित रहता है। वह भली-भाँति जानता है कि क्या करना चाहिए और क्या नहीं। वह किसी से वैर नहीं रखता, समस्त प्राणियों के हित में नियुक्त रहता है, और गंगा-जल के समान पवित्र, निर्मल कुल में उत्पन्न हुआ है।

Word by Word

• शेषान्नभोक्ता: eater of the leftover food (from sacrifice)
• शेषान्नभोक्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष-अन्न-भोक्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वचनानुकूलः: speaking agreeable words
• वचनानुकूलः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वचन-अनुकूल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञः: knowing what is to be done and not done, (being) beneficial, straightforward, and excellent
• हितार्जवोत्कृष्टकृताकृतज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित-अर्जव-उत्कृष्ट-कृत-अकृत-ज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अवैरकृत्: one who does not create enmity
• अवैरकृत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-वैर-कृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भूतहिते: in the welfare of beings
• भूतहिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत-हित
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नियुक्तः: engaged/appointed
• नियुक्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-युज् (नियुक्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गङ्गाह्रदाम्भोदभिजनोपपन्नः: endowed with a lineage like the Ganga-lake-cloud (i.e., pure and lofty-born)
• गङ्गाह्रदाम्भोदभिजनोपपन्नः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा-ह्रद-अम्भोद-अभि-जन-उपपन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (a brāhmaṇa speaker)
• गङ्गा (Gaṅgā river)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse outlines an ethical ideal: a person who lives simply (even on sacrificial remnants), speaks harmoniously, is honest and beneficial, discerns duty from non-duty, harbors no enmity, and dedicates himself to the welfare of all beings—embodying purity and nobility of conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa speaker is describing the qualities of a virtuous person (an exemplar of dharmic character), emphasizing conduct, speech, discernment, and universal benevolence, and reinforcing these virtues by associating the person’s origin with the purity symbolized by the Gaṅgā.