Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच शृणुष्वावहितो राजन्‌ द्विजानां भरतर्षभ | यथा तत्त्वेन वदतो गुणान्‌ वै कुरुसत्तम

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājan dvijānāṃ bharatarṣabha | yathā tattvena vadato guṇān vai kurusattama ||

Translation

வாயுதேவர் கூறினார்—ஓ அரசே, பரதகுலச் சிறந்தவனே! கவனத்துடன் கேள். ஓ குருகுலச் சிறந்தவனே! நான் த்விஜர்களின் (பிராமணர்களின்) குணங்களை உண்மைக்கேற்பத் துல்லியமாக எடுத்துரைக்கிறேன்.

Word by Word

• {'vāyudevaḥ': 'the Wind-god

• Vāyu', 'uvāca': 'said

• spoke', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'āvahitaḥ': 'attentive

• composed', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'dvijānām': 'of the twice-born

• especially brāhmaṇas (genitive plural)', 'bharatarṣabha': 'O bull among the Bharatas

• best of the Bharata lineage', 'yathā': 'as

• in the manner that', 'tattvena': 'in truth

• accurately', 'vadato': 'of (me) speaking

• as one who speaks (genitive singular participle)', 'guṇān': 'virtues

• merits (accusative plural)', 'vai': 'indeed

• surely (emphatic particle)', 'kurusattama': 'O best among the Kurus (vocative)'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (Vāyu)
• King (rājan)
• Bharata lineage (Bharata)
• Kuru lineage (Kuru)
• Dvija/Brāhmaṇas (twice-born)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces an ethical instruction: the speaker (Vāyudeva) will present a truthful, accurate account of the virtues (guṇas) expected of the dvijas—especially brāhmaṇas—framing them as standards relevant to dharma and social responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a king from the Bharata–Kuru line, urging attentive listening, and begins a didactic discourse that will enumerate and explain the qualities of brāhmaṇas.