Shloka 9

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

तुल्यरूपप्रभावाणां बलिनां युद्धशालिनाम्‌ । धनुर्वेदे च वेदे च सर्वत्रैव कृतश्रमा:

Transliteration

tulyarūpaprabhāvāṇāṃ balināṃ yuddhaśālinām | dhanurvede ca vede ca sarvatraiva kṛtaśramāḥ ||

Translation

അവർക്കെല്ലാം രൂപവും പ്രതാപവും ഒരുപോലെ; അവർ ബലവാന്മാരും യുദ്ധകലയിൽ നിപുണരുമായിരുന്നു. ധനുർവേദത്തിലും വേദത്തിലും—എല്ലാ ശാസ്ത്രങ്ങളിലും അവർ പരിശ്രമിച്ചിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

तुल्यरूपप्रभावाणाम्of those having equal form and prowess

बलिनाम्of the strong

युद्धशालिनाम्of those skilled in battle

धनुर्वेदेin the science of archery

चand

वेदेin the Veda / sacred knowledge

चand

सर्वत्रeverywhere / in all respects

एवindeed / just

कृतश्रमा:having undertaken exertion; well-trained

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Dhanurveda

Veda

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?

True excellence is grounded in sustained effort and broad training: strength and martial skill (Dhanurveda) should be complemented by sacred learning (Veda), indicating an ideal of disciplined, well-rounded capability aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is describing a group of men (warriors) characterized by comparable appearance and prowess, emphasizing that they are not merely strong fighters but have labored in comprehensive training—both in warfare and in Vedic study.