Shloka 36

Devanagari script

देवतानन्तरं विप्रांस्तप:सिद्धांस्तपो5धिकान्‌

Transliteration

devatānantaraṃ viprāṃs tapaḥsiddhāṃs tapo'dhikān

Translation

देवतानन्तरं विप्रान् तपःसिद्धान् तपोऽधिकान् । (पूजयेत्/अर्चयेत् इति भावः)।

Word by Word

• देवताः: the deities
• देवताः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• अनन्तरम्: afterwards; next
• अनन्तरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर

• विप्रान्: brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तपःसिद्धान्: accomplished through austerity
• तपःसिद्धान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपःसिद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तपोऽधिकान्: superior in austerity; more ascetic
• तपोऽधिकान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपोऽधिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• devatāḥ (the gods)
• viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas/ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse establishes an order of reverence: after the gods, those most worthy of honor are brāhmaṇas—especially ascetics perfected by tapas—implying that spiritual discipline and realized virtue command high ethical respect.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he enumerates whom one should honor; here he places brāhmaṇas accomplished in austerity immediately after the gods, emphasizing their religious and moral authority.