Shloka 112
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
आत्मनाष्टम इत्येव श्रुतिरेषा परा नृषु । उत्पन्नौ बन्दिनौ चास्य तत्पूर्वो सूतमागधौ
ātmanaṣṭama ityeva śrutireṣā parā nṛṣu | utpannau bandinau cāsya tatpūrvo sūtamāgadhau ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dalam kalangan manusia ada suatu ungkapan tradisi yang masyhur: Raja Pṛthu, dalam salasilahnya sendiri, ialah generasi kelapan daripada Dewa Viṣṇu. Bahkan sebelum kelahiran Pṛthu, dua orang pemuji profesional (bard) telah pun wujud untuknya—Sūta dan Māgadha—yang ditakdirkan untuk mengisytiharkan kemasyhurannya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how royal legitimacy and ethical authority are framed through revered tradition (śruti) and lineage connected to the divine; it also highlights the cultural role of bards (Sūta, Māgadha) in preserving and proclaiming a king’s dharmic fame.
Bhīṣma explains a traditional account about King Pṛthu’s divine-linked genealogy and notes that two praise-singers, Sūta and Māgadha, were born even before Pṛthu, as if appointed in advance to celebrate his deeds and establish his renown.