Shloka 2
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
ब्राह्मणो गुणवान् कश्चिद् धनेनोपनिमन्त्रयताम् । विचित्रवीर्यक्षेत्रेषु यः समुत्पादयेत् प्रजा:
brāhmaṇo guṇavān kaścid dhanena upanimantrayātām | vicitravīryakṣetreṣu yaḥ samutpādayet prajāḥ ||
ധനം നൽകി ഗുണവാനായ ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണനെ ക്ഷണിക്കണം; അവൻ വിചിത്രവീര്യന്റെ ഭാര്യമാരുടെ ക్షേത്രത്തിൽ സന്താനത്തെ ഉത്പാദിപ്പിക്കട്ടെ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dynastic preservation as a duty (kula-dharma) and points to a socially sanctioned remedy—inviting a qualified, virtuous brāhmaṇa to beget heirs in the deceased king’s lineage-field—emphasizing legitimacy through dharmic procedure rather than personal desire.
Bhīṣma advises the queen-mother on how to secure heirs for Vicitravīrya’s line. He proposes summoning a capable brāhmaṇa, with due honor and gifts, to father children through Vicitravīrya’s wives so the royal succession and the Bharata lineage do not fail.