Shloka 1

Devanagari script

भीकम (2 अमान अष्टाविशर्त्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: दैत्योंको त्यागकर इन्द्रके पास लक्ष्मीदेवीका आना तथा किन सदगुणोंके होनेपर लक्ष्मी आती हैं और 2225: 0 [ होनेपर वे त्यागकर चली जाती हैं, इस बातको विस्तारपूर्वक बताना युधिछिर उवाच पूर्वरूपाणि मे राजन्‌ पुरुषस्यथ भविष्यत: । पराभविष्यतश्चैव तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--राजन्‌! पितामह! जिस पुरुषका उत्थान या पतन होनेवाला होता है, उसके पूर्व लक्षण कैसे होते हैं? यह मुझे बताइये

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: pūrvarūpāṇi me rājan puruṣasyātha bhaviṣyataḥ | parābhaviṣyataś caiva tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||

Translation

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు—ఓ రాజా, ఓ పితామహా! ఏ మనిషికి సమృద్ధితో ఉత్థానం సమీపించిందో, అలాగే ఎవరికీ పరాజయంతో పతనం సమీపించిందో—ఆ రెండింటి పూర్వలక్షణాలను నాకు విస్తారంగా చెప్పండి.

Word by Word

पूर्वरूपाणिprior signs, foretokens

मेof me, my

राजन्O king

पुरुषस्यof a man/person

अथnow/then; moreover

भविष्यतःof one who is going to be (prosperous/ascending)

पराभविष्यतःof one who is going to be defeated/decline

चand

एवindeed, just

तत्that (matter)

मेto me

ब्रूहिtell (you)

पितामहO grandsire

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry: prosperity and downfall are preceded by recognizable traits and behaviors. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks criteria for discerning moral and practical trajectories—how inner character and conduct manifest as early indicators of future success or defeat.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and asks him to explain the preliminary signs that show whether a person is headed toward upliftment (utthāna) or toward defeat and decline (parābhava).