Shloka 7
Dāna–Tapaḥ Praśaṃsā and Gṛhastha-Upadeśa
Maitreya
Devanagari script
अचिरेणैव कालेन कीट: पार्थिवसत्तम | प्रजापालनधर्मेण प्रेत्य विप्रत्वमागत:
Transliteration
acireṇaiva kālena kīṭaḥ pārthiva-sattama | prajā-pālana-dharmeṇa pretya vipratvam āgataḥ ||
Translation
भीष्म उवाच—अचिरेणैव कालेन कीटः पार्थिवसत्तम । प्रजापालनधर्मेण प्रेत्य विप्रत्वमागतः ॥
Word by Word
अचिरेणin a short (time)
अचिरेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootअचिर
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
कालेनwith time/within time
कालेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootकाल
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
कीटःthe worm/insect
कीटः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकीट
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
पार्थिव-सत्तमO best of kings
पार्थिव-सत्तम:
TypeNoun
Rootपार्थिव + सत्तम
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
प्रजा-पालन-धर्मेणby the duty of protecting subjects
प्रजा-पालन-धर्मेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootप्रजा + पालन + धर्म
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
प्रेत्यhaving departed (having died)
प्रेत्य:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootप्र + इ (धातु)
FormAbsolutive (ktvā-anta) from √इ with preverb प्र
विप्रत्वम्Brahminhood
विप्रत्वम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootविप्रत्व
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
आगतःattained/obtained
आगतः:
TypeVerb
Rootआ + गम् (धातु)
FormPast active participle (kta) from √गम् with preverb आ, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaY
YudhiṣṭhiraK
kīṭa (former worm/insect)B
brāhmaṇa-kula (brāhmaṇa lineage)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Righteous governance—protecting and sustaining one’s subjects according to dharma—has immense moral power and yields elevated spiritual results, even transforming a being of low birth into a higher rebirth.
Bhīṣma tells Yudhiṣṭhira that a being who was formerly a worm practiced the dharma of protecting the people; after dying soon thereafter, he attained rebirth in a brāhmaṇa family as the fruit of that righteous conduct.