Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 37 Shloka 13 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

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Shloka 13

पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient

Devanagari script

आगतानागते चोभे ब्राह्मणो द्विपदं वर: । ब्राह्मणो भरतश्रेष्ठ स्वरधर्म चैव वेद यः:

Transliteration

āgatānāgate cobhe brāhmaṇo dvipadaṃ varaḥ | brāhmaṇo bharataśreṣṭha svadharmaṃ caiva veda yaḥ ||

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ພຣາຫມັນເປັນຜູ້ສູງສຸດໃນບັນດາສັດສອງຕີນ ເພາະຮູ້ທັງສິ່ງທີ່ຜ່ານມາ ແລະສິ່ງທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ມາ. ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດໃນວົງພາຣະຕະ, ຜູ້ໃດຮູ້ທຳຂອງຕົນ ແລະດຳລົງຊີວິດຕາມທຳນັ້ນ ຜູ້ນັ້ນແຫຼະເປັນພຣາຫມັນແທ້.

Word by Word

आगतcome, arrived (i.e., the past)

अनागतnot yet come (i.e., the future)

चand

उभेboth

ब्राह्मणःthe Brahmin

द्विपदम्the two-footed (i.e., mankind)

वरःbest, excellent

ब्राह्मणःthe Brahmin

भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

स्वधर्मम्one's own duty

चand

एवindeed, only

वेदknows

यःwho

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Bharataśreṣṭha (Yudhiṣṭhira, implied addressee)

Brāhmaṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines true Brāhmaṇa-hood not merely by birth but by knowledge and lived adherence to svadharma: the highest human is the one who understands dharma and practices it.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-ethical ideals; here he praises the Brāhmaṇa as foremost among humans and frames the criterion as knowing and following one’s proper duty.