Shloka 63
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
श्रवास्तस्य सुतश्चर्षि: श्रवसश्चा भवत् तम: । तमसश्न प्रकाशो5भूत् तनयो द्विजसत्तम: । प्रकाशस्य च वागिन्द्रो बभूव जयतां वर:
Śravāstasya sutaś cārṣiḥ śravasaś cābhavat tamaḥ | Tamasaś ca prakāśo ’bhūt tanayo dvijasattamaḥ | Prakāśasya ca vāgindro babhūva jayatāṃ varaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Mula sa kanya ay isinilang ang ṛṣi na nagngangalang Śravā; mula kay Śravā ay isinilang si Tamaḥ. Mula kay Tamaḥ ay isinilang si Prakāśa, isang pinakadakilang brāhmaṇa. At mula kay Prakāśa ay isinilang si Vāgindra, ang nangunguna sa mga nagtatagumpay.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on dharmic continuity: noble qualities—learning, restraint, and excellence—are preserved and celebrated through disciplined lineages, and a person’s worth is framed in terms of virtue and attainment rather than mere birth.
Bhīṣma is reciting a succession of descendants in a genealogical sequence: Śravā is born, then Tamaḥ, then Prakāśa (praised as an outstanding brāhmaṇa), and then Vāgindra, described as foremost among the victorious.