Shloka 41

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

स तं पुरोधाय सुखमवसद्‌ भरतर्षभ | राज्यं शशास धर्मेण प्रजाश्न॒ परिपालयन्‌,भरतश्रेष्ठी ऋषिको पुरोहित बनाकर वह राजा सुखपूर्वक रहने और धर्मपूर्वक प्रजाका पालन करते हुए राज्यका शासन करने लगा

Transliteration

sa taṃ purodhāya sukham avasad bharatarṣabha | rājyaṃ śaśāsa dharmeṇa prajāś ca paripālayan ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు అన్నాడు—“ఓ భరతవృషభా! అతనిని పురోహితునిగా నియమించుకొని ఆ రాజు సుఖంగా నివసిస్తూ, ధర్మానుసారం ప్రజలను పరిరక్షిస్తూ రాజ్యాన్ని పాలించసాగాడు।”

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरोधाय: having placed in front / having appointed as purohita
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस् + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• सुखम्: happily / in comfort
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अवसत्: dwelt / lived
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत + ऋषभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राज्यम्: the kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शशास: ruled / governed
• Type: Verb
• Root: शास् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्मेण: by righteousness / according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रजाः: the subjects
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• परिपालयन्: protecting / maintaining
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + पाल् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• a king (unnamed in this verse)
• purohita (royal priest)
• Bharatas (dynastic reference)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s legitimacy and well-being rest on dharmic governance: appointing a competent purohita for guidance, ruling by righteousness, and actively protecting and sustaining the people.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a king who, after appointing a priest-counselor (purohita), lives peacefully and administers the kingdom according to dharma while safeguarding his subjects.