Shloka 3

Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मवर्चसहीनस्य स्वाध्यायोपरतस्य च । गोत्रमात्रविदो राजा निवासं समपृच्छत,तब ब्राह्मणोचित तेजसे हीन, स्वाध्यायसे उपरत, केवल गोत्र अथवा जातिका नाम जाननेवाले उस ब्राह्मणसे राजाने उसका निवासस्थान पूछा

Transliteration

brahmavarcasahīnasya svādhyāyoparatasya ca | gotramātravido rājā nivāsaṃ samapṛcchata ||

Translation

Бхишма сказал: Царь спросил о месте жительства брахмана, лишённого сияния, рождаемого священным знанием, прекратившего ведическое учение и знавшего лишь одно название своего рода. Сцена подчёркивает: одно лишь родовое имя без дисциплины и учёности — пустая грамота; истинная брахманская ценность измеряется поведением, учением и внутренним светом, а не одной только готрой.

Word by Word

ब्रह्मवर्चसहीनस्यof one devoid of brahmic lustre

स्वाध्यायोपरतस्यof one who has ceased from self-study

चand

गोत्रमात्रविदःfrom one who knows only the gotra (lineage) name

राजाthe king

निवासम्dwelling-place, residence

समपृच्छत्asked, inquired

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

rājā (the king)

brāhmaṇa (a Brahmin)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts genuine Brahminical excellence—marked by svādhyāya and brahma-varcasa—with mere nominal identity based on gotra. It implies that ethical and spiritual authority depends on disciplined learning and conduct, not on lineage-name alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s discourse, a king encounters (or is dealing with) a Brahmin who has abandoned Vedic study and lacks the customary spiritual lustre; the king then asks him where he resides, setting up a broader reflection on true merit and the decline of dharmic standards.