Shloka 71

Devanagari script

हरिवंशसमाप्तौ तु सहस्नं भोजयेद्‌ द्विजान्‌

Transliteration

harivaṁśasamāptau tu sahasraṁ bhojayed dvijān

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: At the conclusion of the Harivaṁśa, one should feed a thousand twice-born (brāhmaṇas). The verse frames completion of sacred narrative as an occasion for generous giving, turning listening and recitation into an ethical act of gratitude and merit through hospitality.

Word by Word

• हरिवंशसमाप्तौ: at the completion of the Harivaṃśa
• हरिवंशसमाप्तौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिवंश-समाप्ति
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (भोजयति)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-liṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative

• द्विजान्: Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Harivaṁśa
• dvija (brāhmaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Completion of sacred study or recitation should culminate in dāna—here, feeding learned and initiated guests—so that knowledge is sealed by generosity, gratitude, and social responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states a prescriptive rule: when the Harivaṁśa has been completed, the listener/performer should host a large feeding of dvijas, presenting the end of the text as a ritual-ethical occasion rather than a mere literary finish.