Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच एष ते केशव: सर्वमाख्यास्यति महामति: । व्युष्टिं ब्राह्मणपूजायां दृष्टव्युष्टिमहाव्रत:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | eṣa te keśavaḥ sarvam ākhyāsyati mahāmatiḥ | vyuṣṭiṃ brāhmaṇa-pūjāyāṃ dṛṣṭa-vyuṣṭi-mahāvrataḥ ||

Translation

Sabi ni Bhīṣma: “O marunong, ang Keshava na ito ang magpapaliwanag sa iyo ng lahat. Siya’y Panginoong may dakilang panata na nasaksihan na mismo ang tunay na bunga at pakinabang na nagmumula sa paggalang at pagsamba sa mga brāhmaṇa; kaya siya rin ang magsasalaysay sa iyo ng buong bagay na ito.”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'eṣa': 'this (person)', 'te': 'to you / for you', 'keśavaḥ': 'Keshava (Krishna)', 'sarvam': 'everything', 'ākhyāsyati': 'will narrate, will explain', 'mahāmatiḥ': 'great-minded, supremely intelligent', 'vyuṣṭim': 'manifest result, clear outcome

• lit. ‘dawning’ (here: realized fruit/benefit)', 'brāhmaṇa-pūjāyām': 'in the honoring/worship of Brahmins', 'dṛṣṭa': 'seen, directly experienced', 'mahāvrataḥ': 'one of great vow/observance

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Keshava (Krishna)
• Yudhishthira
• Brahmins (Brāhmaṇas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma emphasizes that ethical instruction should be received from a trustworthy authority: Krishna, who is both supremely wise and has personally realized the tangible fruits of honoring Brahmins. The verse highlights reverence toward learned and virtuous custodians of dharma and the value of experiential authority in moral teaching.

What is happening in the narrative?

During Bhishma’s dharma-discourse to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma redirects the topic of the benefits of Brahmin-honor to Krishna, stating that Krishna will explain the matter fully because he has directly witnessed its results.