Shloka 5

Devanagari script

स्ववित्तं तेन दत्तं तु दत्तात्रेयाय कारणे । क्षत्रधर्म पुरस्कृत्य विनयं श्रुतमेव च

Transliteration

svavittaṁ tena dattaṁ tu dattātreyāya kāraṇe | kṣatradharma-puraskṛtya vinayaṁ śrutam eva ca

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—ఆ ప్రత్యేక కారణార్థమే అతడు తన స్వధనాన్ని దత్తాత్రేయునికి దానమిచ్చెను; క్షాత్రధర్మాన్ని ముందుంచి, వినయంతోను శ్రుతి-ఉపదేశానుసారముగాను ప్రవర్తించెను.

Word by Word

स्ववित्तम्one's own wealth

तेनby him

दत्तम्given

तुbut/indeed

दत्तात्रेयायto Dattatreya

कारणेfor the reason/purpose; in the matter

क्षत्रधर्मम्the Kshatriya-duty

पुरस्कृत्यhaving placed in front; having made primary

विनयम्humility/discipline

श्रुतम्learning; what is heard (scriptural learning)

एवindeed/only

चand

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Dattatreya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Wealth should be used in alignment with dharma: a kṣatriya is expected to prioritize duty and public-spirited generosity, guided by humility and by the authority of received sacred teaching (śruti).

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a person giving his own wealth to the sage Dattatreya for a particular purpose, emphasizing that the act was done with kṣatriya-duty as the foremost consideration, together with humble conduct and fidelity to traditional instruction.