Shloka 16

Devanagari script

यदासीच्चाक्षुषं जन्म द्वितीयं ब्रह्मणो नृूप । तदा पितामहेनैव सोमाद्‌ धर्म: परिश्रुत:

Transliteration

yad āsīc cākṣuṣaṁ janma dvitīyaṁ brahmaṇo nṛpa | tadā pitāmahenaiva somād dharmaḥ pariśrutaḥ ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను— ఓ రాజా! బ్రహ్మదేవునికి చాక్షుషమనే రెండవ జన్మ (మన్వంతరం) కలిగినప్పుడు, పితామహుడు స్వయంగా సోముని నుండి ఆ ధర్మాన్ని శ్రవణించి స్వీకరించాడు।

Word by Word

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• चाक्षुषम्: pertaining to Cākṣuṣa (Manu/period)
• चाक्षुषम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चाक्षुष
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्वितीयम्: second
• द्वितीयम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

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

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• पितामहेन: by the Grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामहेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सोमात्: from Soma
• सोमात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• धर्मः: Dharma
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिश्रुतः: was heard/was renowned (as heard of)
• Type: Participle
• Root: परि-श्रु (श्रुत)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brahmā
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Soma
• Dharma
• Cākṣuṣa (Manvantara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is presented as an ancient, authoritative tradition transmitted through exalted cosmic figures; its legitimacy rests on lineage (paramparā) and on being ‘heard’ and preserved across epochs.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana situates the account in a specific cosmic period (the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara) and states that, in that time, Dharma was received and propagated—Brahmā (the Grandsire) conveying what came from Soma—thereby grounding the discourse on Dharma in primordial history.