Shloka 17

Adhyāya 59: On Giving to the Asker and Supporting the Non-asking (याचक-अयाचक-दाने धर्मः)

Devanagari script

भीष्मजी कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! महात्मा च्यवन मुनिका यह वचन सुनकर धर्मात्मा राजा कुशिक बड़े प्रसन्न हुए और बोले, 'भगवन्‌! ऐसा ही हो” ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca—bharataśreṣṭha! mahātmā cyavana-muner idaṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā dharmātmā rājā kuśikaḥ mahān praharṣam avāpa, uvāca ca—“bhagavan, evam eva bhavatu” iti. cyavanas tu mahātejāḥ punar eva narādhipaṃ varārthaṃ codayāmāsa; tam uvāca sa pārthivaḥ—

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik dalam kalangan Bharata! Mendengar kata-kata resi agung Cyavana, Raja Kuśika yang berjiwa dharma dipenuhi sukacita lalu menjawab, ‘Wahai tuan yang mulia, biarlah demikian adanya.’ Kemudian Cyavana yang bercahaya gemilang sekali lagi mendorong penguasa manusia itu agar memohon suatu anugerah; maka raja pun berkata kepadanya seperti berikut.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'bharataśreṣṭha', 'definition': 'best among the Bharatas

• a respectful address to the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira)'}, {'term': 'mahātmā', 'definition': 'great-souled, noble-minded'}, {'term': 'cyavana (muni)', 'definition': 'the sage Cyavana'}, {'term': 'vacana', 'definition': 'speech, statement, words'}, {'term': 'śrutvā', 'definition': 'having heard'}, {'term': 'dharmātmā', 'definition': 'one whose nature is dharma

• righteous'}, {'term': 'rājā kuśikaḥ', 'definition': 'King Kuśika (a royal figure in the narrative)'}, {'term': 'praharṣa / praharṣam avāpa', 'definition': 'joy, delight

• attained great joy'}, {'term': 'bhagavan', 'definition': 'revered one

• honorific for a sage'}, {'term': 'evam eva bhavatu', 'definition': 'let it be exactly so

• an assent/acceptance'}, {'term': 'mahātejāḥ', 'definition': 'of great splendor/energy

• radiant, powerful'}, {'term': 'punar eva', 'definition': 'again, once more'}, {'term': 'narādhipa', 'definition': 'lord of men

• king'}, {'term': 'varārtha', 'definition': 'for the sake of a boon

• with the aim of granting/asking a boon'}, {'term': 'codayāmāsa', 'definition': 'urged, prompted, encouraged'}, {'term': 'pārthiva', 'definition': 'earthly ruler

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Cyavana (sage)
• King Kuśika
• Bharata lineage (as address: Bharataśreṣṭha)
• Narādhipa/Pārthiva (the king, i.e., Kuśika)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights dharmic kingship and proper conduct toward spiritual authority: a righteous ruler responds with humility and readiness to fulfill what is right, while the sage guides the king toward the ethical act of offering (or requesting) a boon in an orderly, principled way.

What is happening in the narrative?

After hearing Cyavana’s words, King Kuśika gladly agrees—“So be it.” Cyavana then again prompts the king regarding a boon, setting up the next exchange in which the king will respond and the boon-related outcome will unfold.