Shloka 11

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

अत ऊर्ध्व विसर्गस्य परीक्षां ब्राह्मणे शूणु

Transliteration

ata ūrdhvaṁ visaragasya parīkṣāṁ brāhmaṇe śṛṇu | adya dāna-bhojanārthaṁ brāhmaṇasya parīkṣāyāṁ yā kathā ucyate tāṁ śṛṇu | rājan, ye brāhmaṇāḥ patitā jaḍā unmattā vā bhavanti te deva-kārye pitṛ-kārye vā nimantraṇa-yogyā na bhavanti |

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—ఇకపై దానం మరియు భోజనం చేయించుటకు బ్రాహ్మణుని పరీక్ష ఎలా చేయవలెనో వినుము. రాజా! ఆచారభ్రష్టులైన, జడబుద్ధులైన, లేదా ఉన్మత్తులైన బ్రాహ్మణులు—దైవకార్యములో గాని పితృకార్యములో గాని ఆహ్వానించుటకు అర్హులు కారు.

Word by Word

• ataḥ: therefore/then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas

• ūrdhva: upwards; above
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (used adverbially)

• visargasya: of the discharge/evacuation (visarga)
• Type: Noun
• Root: visarga
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• parīkṣām: examination/testing
• parīkṣām: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: parīkṣā
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• brāhmaṇe: in/with regard to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇe: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• śṛṇu: hear/listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru
• Form: Imperative, 2nd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• rājan: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• patitaḥ: fallen/degraded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: patita
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (past passive participle of √pat)

• jaḍaḥ: dull/stupid
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaḍa
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā

• unmattaḥ: mad/insane
• Type: Adjective
• Root: unmatta
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vā: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā

• jātaḥ: become/turned into
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāta
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (past passive participle of √jan)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• yogyaḥ: fit/eligible
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yogya
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• nimantraṇāya: for invitation
• nimantraṇāya: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimantraṇa
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• deva-kārye: in a rite for the gods
• deva-kārye: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-kārya
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• pitṛ-kārye: in a rite for the ancestors
• pitṛ-kārye: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ-kārya
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (Yudhishthira implied)
• Brahmin(s)
• Devas (gods)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that charity and ritual hospitality must be guided by discernment: for deva-rites and ancestral rites, one should invite only those Brahmins who are ethically and mentally fit, avoiding those who are fallen in conduct, incapable of discernment, or mentally deranged.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing the king on dharma. Here he turns to practical guidance on how to assess Brahmins for invitations connected with gifting and ritual feeding, specifying who is not eligible for deva-kārya and pitṛ-kārya.