Shloka 7

उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit

Angiras Teaching

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवं ब्रुवाणं कौन्तेयं धर्मज्ञं धर्मतत्त्ववित्‌ । धर्मपुत्रमिदं वाक्‍्यं भीष्म: शान्तनवोडब्रवीत्‌,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! धर्मज्ञ धर्मपुत्र कुन्तीकुमार युधिष्ठिरके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर धर्मके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने उनसे इस प्रकार कहा

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

evaṁ bruvāṇaṁ kaunteyaṁ dharmajñaṁ dharmatattvavit |

dharmaputram idaṁ vākyaṁ bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo ’bravīt ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ജനമേജയ, ധർമ്മജ്ഞനും ധർമ്മതത്ത്വവിദനും ആയ കുന്തീപുത്രൻ ധർമ്മപുത്രൻ യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ ഇങ്ങനെ ചോദിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ശാന്തനുനന്ദനായ ഭീഷ്മൻ അവനോട് ഇപ്രകാരം മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in this manner', 'bruvāṇam': 'speaking, having spoken (present participle)', 'kaunteyam': 'the son of Kuntī (Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'dharmajñam': 'knower of dharma

• one versed in righteousness', 'dharmatattvavit': 'knower of the essence/principle (tattva) of dharma', 'dharmaputram': 'Dharmaputra

• ‘son of Dharma’ (epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'idaṁ vākyam': 'these words

• this statement', 'bhīṣmaḥ': 'Bhīṣma', 'śāntanavaḥ': 'son/descendant of Śāntanu (Bhīṣma)', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Kaunteya, Dharmaputra)
• Bhīṣma
• Śāntanu

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the authority and ethical seriousness of the exchange: Yudhiṣṭhira is presented as a sincere inquirer and knower of dharma, and Bhīṣma as a qualified teacher of dharma’s principles, preparing the listener for a normative (dharma-centered) instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Yudhiṣṭhira has asked or spoken in a particular way, Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows and delivering counsel in the Anuśāsana Parva—responds to him with the next instruction.