Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तेषां श्राद्धानि देयानि श्रुत्वा भारत भारतम्‌ । ब्राह्मणेभ्यो यथाशक्त्या भक्‍त्या च भरतर्षभ

Transliteration

teṣāṃ śrāddhāni deyāni śrutvā bhārata bhāratam | brāhmaṇebhyo yathāśaktyā bhaktyā ca bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Having heard this account of the Bhāratas, O descendant of Bharata, one should offer the śrāddha rites for them—giving, according to one’s capacity, to Brāhmaṇas with sincere devotion, O best of the Bharatas.”

Word by Word

तेषाम्of them

श्राद्धानिśrāddha rites

देयानिto be given / should be offered

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

भारतO Bhārata

भारतम्the Bhārata (Mahābhārata)

ब्राह्मणेभ्यःto the brāhmaṇas

यथाaccording as / as

शक्त्याwith (one's) ability / according to capacity

भक्त्याwith devotion

चand

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Bhārata (lineage/epic account)

Brāhmaṇas

Śrāddha (rites)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links hearing the Bhārata narrative with ethical action: one should honor the departed through śrāddha and support worthy recipients (Brāhmaṇas) with gifts given within one’s means, performed with devotion rather than display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a Bharata-descended listener, prescribing a concluding religious-ethical response to the heard account: perform śrāddha for those concerned and give offerings to Brāhmaṇas according to capacity, emphasizing bhakti.