Shloka 11
Bhīṣma Parva, Adhyāya 4 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Vyāsa Saṃvāda on Kāla and Jayalakṣaṇa
Signs of Victory
त्रसानां खलु सर्वेषां श्रेष्ठा राजन् जरायुजा: । जरायुजानां प्रवरा मानवा: पशवश्च ये,राजन! सम्पूर्ण जंगम जीवोंमें जरायुज श्रेष्ठ माने गये हैं, जरायुजोंमें भी मनुष्य और पशु उत्तम हैं
trasānāṁ khalu sarveṣāṁ śreṣṭhā rājan jarāyujāḥ | jarāyujānāṁ pravarā mānavāḥ paśavaś ca ye rājan ||
రాజా! సమస్త చరజీవులలో జరాయుజులు శ్రేష్ఠమని భావించబడతారు. జరాయుజులలోనూ, రాజా, మనుష్యులు మరియు పశువులు ఉత్తమమని చెప్పబడతారు.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a traditional classification and valuation of living beings: among mobile creatures, womb-born (viviparous) are considered superior, and within them humans and animals are highlighted as pre-eminent—implying a framework for ethical reflection on life, responsibility, and the place of human agency.
Sañjaya, narrating events and reflections to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, states a general principle about the ranking of living beings, functioning as contextual discourse within Bhīṣma Parva’s broader war narration and its moral-philosophical framing.