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 berkata: “Wahai Bharata, anak itu baru saja lahir namun seketika tumbuh, tampak seolah telah berusia tiga belas tahun. Pada saat itu juga ia melafalkan seluruh Veda, dan juga Dhanurveda (ilmu memanah).”
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.