Shloka 52

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणाश्रैव ते नित्यं प्राज्ञाश्रैव विशेषत: | आचार्या ऋत्विजश्वचैव पूजनीया जनाधिप

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

brāhmaṇāś caiva te nityaṃ prājñāś caiva viśeṣataḥ |

ācāryā ṛtvijaś caiva pūjanīyā janādhipa ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «О владыка людей, тебе следует всегда чтить брахманов — и особенно мудрых среди них. Так же и наставники твои и жрецы, совершающие жертвенные обряды (ṛtvij), должны быть неизменно почитаемы.»

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• ते: for you/to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Dative, Singular

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• प्राज्ञान्: the wise/learned
• प्राज्ञान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• विशेषतः: especially
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः

• आचार्याः: teachers
• आचार्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचार्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ऋत्विजः: priests (officiating at sacrifices)
• ऋत्विजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: also/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• पूजनीयाः: worthy of worship/to be honored
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूजनीय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाधिप: O lord of people (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brāhmaṇas
• the wise (prājñāḥ)
• Ācāryas (teachers)
• Ṛtvijas (officiating priests)
• the king (janādhipa, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s dharma includes continual reverence toward Brāhmaṇas, with special honor to the truly wise, and unwavering respect for one’s teachers and the priests who uphold sacred rites—because they sustain learning, moral discernment, and the religious-social order.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction sequence, Vaiśampāyana reports Bhīṣma’s counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: after speaking, Bhīṣma reiterates a key rule of conduct for kings—honoring Brāhmaṇas, especially the learned, along with ācāryas and ṛtvijas.