Shloka 25

बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account

On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics

Devanagari script

अकृष्टाश्वैव हंसाश्चन ऋषयो वाग्नियोनय: । वानप्रस्था: पृश्रयश्च स्थिता ब्रह्मानुशासने,भृगु, अत्रि और अड्जिरा-ये सिद्ध मुनि, तपस्याके धनी काश्यपगण, वसिष्ठ, गौतम, अगस्त्य, देवर्षि नारद, पर्वत, वालखिल्य ऋषि, प्रभास, सिकत, घृतप (घी पीकर रहनेवाले), सोमप (सोमपान करनेवाले), वायव्य (वायु पीकर रहनेवाले), मरीचिप (सूर्यकी किरणोंका पान करनेवाले) और वैश्वानर तथा अकृष्ट (बिना जोते-बोये उत्पन्न हुए अन्नसे जीविका चलानेवाले), हंसमुनि (संन्यासी), अग्निसे उत्पन्न होनेवाले ऋषिगण, वानप्रस्थ और पृश्चरिगण--ये सभी महात्मा ब्रह्माजीकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहकर सनातनधर्मका पालन करने लगे

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

akṛṣṭāś caiva haṃsāś ca ṛṣayo vāgnayonayaḥ |

vānaprasthāḥ pṛśrayāś ca sthitā brahmānuśāsane ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—అకృష్టులు (దున్నకుండానే పుట్టిన ధాన్యంతో జీవించువారు), హంస తపస్వులు, అగ్నియోనిజ ఋషులు, వానప్రస్థులు మరియు పృశ్రయ తపస్వులు—ఇవన్నీ బ్రహ్మానుశాసనంలో స్థిరంగా ఉండి సనాతనధర్మాన్ని ధరిస్తున్నారు.

Word by Word

अकृष्टाश्वाःthose whose horses are unploughed/unused (a class of sages/ascetics)

इवlike/as

हंसाःswans; (by extension) hamsa-ascetics

चand

ऋषयःsages

वाग्नियोनयःthose whose origin is fire (fire-born sages)

वानप्रस्थाःforest-dwellers (in the vānaprastha stage)

पृश्रयःpṛśri-s (a class/group of ascetics; reading uncertain)

चand

स्थिताःstanding/abiding; situated

ब्रह्मानुशासनेin/under Brahmā’s ordinance/command

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brahmā

Ṛ

Ṛṣis (sages)

Haṃsa ascetics

Agni-born sages (vāgnayonayaḥ)

Vānaprasthas

Pṛśraya ascetics

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?

The verse presents exemplary ascetic and forest-dwelling modes of life as legitimate expressions of dharma when they are aligned with Brahmā’s ordinance—i.e., with the cosmic and scriptural order—thereby emphasizing that true religious life is measured by conformity to dharma rather than by mere external austerity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he lists categories of sages and renunciants—those living on uncultivated produce, ‘haṃsa’ ascetics, fire-born seers, and vānaprasthas—describing them as steadfast followers of the eternal dharma under Brahmā’s command.