Shloka 18

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

गड्जाया उत्तरे कूले वप्रान्ते राजसत्तम । गोमत्या दक्षिणे कूले शक्रस्येवामरावतीम्‌

Transliteration

Gaṅgāyā uttare kūle vaprānte rājasattama | Gomatīyā dakṣiṇe kūle Śakrasyevāmarāvatīm ||

Translation

ହେ ରାଜଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ! ସେ ନଗରୀ ଗଙ୍ଗାର ଉତ୍ତର କୂଳରେ ପ୍ରାଚୀର-ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ ପ୍ରସାରିତ ଥିଲା ଏବଂ ଗୋମତୀର ଦକ୍ଷିଣ କୂଳ ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ ବିସ୍ତୃତ ଥିଲା। ଐଶ୍ୱର୍ଯ୍ୟରେ ତାହା ଇନ୍ଦ୍ରଙ୍କ ଅମରାବତୀ ସମାନ ଦିଶୁଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• गङ्गायाः: of the Ganga
• गङ्गायाः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• उत्तरे: on the northern
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कूले: bank/shore
• कूले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वप्रान्ते: at the edge of the rampart/embankment
• वप्रान्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वप्रान्त
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• राजसत्तम: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• गोमत्या: by/with the Gomati (river)
• गोमत्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमती
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दक्षिणे: on the southern
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कूले: bank/shore
• कूले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शक्रस्य: of Shakra (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अमरावतीम्: Amaravati (Indra's city)
• अमरावतीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमरावती
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Gaṅgā
• Gomatī
• Śakra (Indra)
• Amarāvatī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ideal of royal order and prosperity: a well-situated, well-fortified city is portrayed as worthy of comparison with the divine realm, implying that righteous governance can create near-celestial well-being in the human world.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is describing a magnificent city’s location and extent—reaching from the northern bank of the Ganga to the southern bank of the Gomati—and praising its splendour by likening it to Indra’s Amaravati.