Shloka 11

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

स वीतहव्यदायादैरागत्य पुरुषर्षभ । गड्भायमुनयोर्मध्ये संग्रामे विनिपातित:,पुरुषप्रवर! वीतहव्यके पुत्रोंने हर्यश्वके राज्यपर चढ़ाई की उन्हें गंगा-यमुनाके बीच युद्धमें मार गिराया

Transliteration

sa vītahavyadāyādair āgatya puruṣarṣabha | gaṅgā-yamunayor madhye saṅgrāme vinipātitaḥ ||

Translation

ఓ పురుషశ్రేష్ఠా! వీతహవ్య వంశస్థులు దండెత్తి అతనిని యుద్ధమునకు లాగిరి; గంగా-యమునల మధ్య జరిగిన సంగ్రామమున అతడు హతుడయ్యెను.

Word by Word

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

• वीतहव्यदायादैः: by the heirs/descendants of Vītahavya
• वीतहव्यदायादैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीतहव्य-दायाद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आगत्य: having come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• पुरुषर्षभ: O bull among men
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष-ऋषभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• गङ्गायमुनयोः: of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-यमुना
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• मध्ये: in the middle/between
• मध्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सङ्ग्रामे: in battle
• सङ्ग्रामे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्ग्राम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• विनिपातितः: was struck down/caused to fall
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-पत्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषप्रवर: O foremost of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष-प्रवर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Vītahavya
• Vītahavya’s descendants (dāyāda)
• Gaṅgā
• Yamunā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the peril of dynastic vengeance and power-seeking: when political ambition escalates into war, even eminent men can be brought down, so a ruler should temper conquest with restraint and dharmic judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma recounts that a certain figure was met by the descendants of King Vītahavya and was killed in a battle fought in the region between the rivers Gaṅgā and Yamunā.