Shloka 63
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
श्रवास्तस्य सुतश्चर्षि: श्रवसश्चा भवत् तम: । तमसश्न प्रकाशो5भूत् तनयो द्विजसत्तम: । प्रकाशस्य च वागिन्द्रो बभूव जयतां वर:,सन्तके पुत्र महर्षि श्रवा, श्रवाके तम और तमके पुत्र द्विजश्रेष्ठ प्रकाश हुए। प्रकाशका पुत्र विजयशीलोंमें श्रेष्ठ वागिन्द्र था
Śravāstasya sutaś cārṣiḥ śravasaś cābhavat tamaḥ | Tamasaś ca prakāśo ’bhūt tanayo dvijasattamaḥ | Prakāśasya ca vāgindro babhūva jayatāṃ varaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Daripadanya lahirlah seorang ṛṣi bernama Śravā; daripada Śravā lahirlah Tamaḥ. Daripada Tamaḥ lahirlah Prakāśa, seorang brāhmaṇa yang amat unggul. Dan daripada Prakāśa lahirlah Vāgindra, yang terkemuka dalam kalangan para pemenang.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on dharmic continuity: noble qualities—learning, restraint, and excellence—are preserved and celebrated through disciplined lineages, and a person’s worth is framed in terms of virtue and attainment rather than mere birth.
Bhīṣma is reciting a succession of descendants in a genealogical sequence: Śravā is born, then Tamaḥ, then Prakāśa (praised as an outstanding brāhmaṇa), and then Vāgindra, described as foremost among the victorious.