Shloka 140

Devanagari script

सकल चातुराश्रम्यं चातुहोंत्रं तथैव च । चातुर्वर्ण्य तथैवात्र चातुर्विद्यं च कीर्तितम्‌,युधिष्ठिर! पुराणशास्त्र, महर्षियोंकी उत्पत्ति, तीर्थ-समूह, नक्षत्रसमुदाय, ब्रह्मचर्य आदि चार आश्रम, होता आदि चार प्रकारके ऋत्विजोंसे सम्पन्न होनेवाले यज्ञकर्म, चारों वर्ण और चारों विद्याओंका पूर्वोक्त नीतिशास्त्रमें प्रतिपादन किया गया है

Transliteration

sakala-cāturāśramyaṁ cātur-hotraṁ tathaiva ca | cātur-varṇyaṁ tathaivātra cātur-vidyaṁ ca kīrtitam, yudhiṣṭhira |

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「ユディシュティラよ、この政道と正しき行いの教えには、四住期（アーシュラマ āśrama）の全体、四人の主要祭官による四分の祭式（チャートゥルホートラ cāturhotra）、四姓（ヴァルナ varṇa）、そして四つの学（ヴィディヤー vidyā）がことごとく説き示されている。」

Word by Word

सकलम्entire, complete

चातुराश्रम्यम्the system of the four āśramas

चand

चातुर्होत्रम्the fourfold priesthood (four ṛtvij-s)

तथाlikewise, so

एवindeed, just

चand

चातुर्वर्ण्यम्the fourfold varṇa order

तथाlikewise

एवindeed

अत्रhere (in this context/teaching)

चातुर्विद्यम्the fourfold knowledge (four vidyā-s)

चand

कीर्तितम्has been declared/mentioned

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

āśrama

hotṛ

Ṛ

ṛtvij

varṇa

vidyā

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma summarizes that a complete account of dharma and governance includes the integrated framework of society and spirituality: the four stages of life, the sacrificial order with its priestly functions, the four social classes, and the recognized divisions of learning.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues instructing King Yudhishthira on rājadharma and nīti, indicating that the prior discourse has already covered the major institutional pillars of Vedic society—āśrama, yajña-priesthood, varṇa, and vidyā.