Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वानप्रस्थेषु विप्रेषु त्रैविद्येषु च भारत । प्रयच्छतो<र्थात्‌ विपुलान्‌ वन्याश्रमपदं भवेत्‌,भारत! जो वानप्रस्थ, ब्राह्मणों तथा तीनों वेदके विद्वानोंको प्रचुर धन दान करता है, उसे वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमके सेवनका फल मिलता है

Transliteration

vānaprastheṣu vipreṣu traividyeṣu ca bhārata | prayacchato 'rthāt vipulān vanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet ||

Translation

ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພາຣະຕະ, ຜູ້ໃດມອບທານຊັບສິນຢ່າງອຸດົມແກ່ພຣາຫມັນຜູ້ດຳລົງຊີວິດວານະປຣັສຖະ (ຊີວິດປ່າ) ແລະແກ່ຜູ້ຮູ້ຊ່ຽວຊານໃນວິທະຍາສາດແຫ່ງເວດທັງສາມ, ຍ່ອມບັນລຸບຸນຜົນແລະສະຖານະທາງຈິດວິນຍານອັນເກີດຈາກ “ວານະປຣັສຖະ-ອາສຣົມ”. ຄຳສອນນີ້ເນັ້ນວ່າ ການອຸປະຖຳຜູ້ຖືວິໄນໃນປ່າ ແລະການຮຽນຮູ້ເວດ ເປັນກິດທຳທາງທຳມະ ທີ່ໃຫ້ຜົນດັ່ງຂັ້ນອາສຣົມນັ້ນເອງ.

Word by Word

वानप्रस्थेषुamong/in the vānaprasthas (forest-dwellers)

विप्रेषुamong/in the brāhmaṇas

त्रैविद्येषुamong/in the knowers of the three Vedas

चand

भारतO Bhārata

प्रयच्छतः(he) gives/bestows

अर्थात्namely/that is; (here) wealth

विपुलान्abundant, great (amounts)

वन्याश्रमपदम्the state/fruit of the forest-āśrama (vānaprastha stage)

भवेत्would be/comes to be (accrues)

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Generous giving to disciplined brāhmaṇas—especially vānaprasthas—and to scholars of the three Vedas yields the same religious merit as practicing the vānaprastha stage oneself; supporting ascetic discipline and Vedic knowledge is a direct form of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira about the fruits of various righteous acts, here specifying the merit gained by donating abundant wealth to forest-dwelling brāhmaṇas and Vedic experts.