Shloka 39

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

जातकर्मादिका: सर्वास्त्रिषु वर्णेषु भारत । ब्र्मक्षत्रे हि मन्त्रोक्ता वैश्यस्य च युधिष्ठिर,भरतवंशी युधिष्ठिर! तीनों वर्णोमें जातकर्म आदि समस्त संस्कारोंका विधान है। ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य तीनोंके सभी संस्कार वेद-मन्त्रोंक उच्चारण-पूर्वक होने चाहिये

Transliteration

jātakarmādikāḥ sarvāstrīṣu varṇeṣu bhārata | brahmakṣatre hi mantroktā vaiśyasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا—اے بھرت ونشی یدھشٹھِر! تینوں دْوِج ورنوں میں جات کرم سے لے کر تمام سنسکار مقرر ہیں۔ برہمن، کشتری اور ویشیہ—ان تینوں کے سنسکار ویدک منتروں کی تلاوت کے ساتھ ہی قاعدے کے مطابق انجام دینے چاہییں۔

Word by Word

जातकर्मादिकाःthe rites beginning with the birth-rite (jātakarma) etc.

सर्वाःall

त्रिषुin three

वर्णेषुin the varṇas (social classes)

भारतO Bhārata

ब्राह्मक्षत्रेin the brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya (classes)

हिindeed/for

मन्त्रोक्ताःaccompanied by (Vedic) mantras / prescribed with mantras

वैश्यस्यof the vaiśya

चand

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Yudhishthira

Bharata (dynastic epithet)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that the classical life-cycle sacraments (saṃskāras), starting with jātakarma, are prescribed for the three twice-born varṇas—Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya—and that these rites should be performed with Vedic mantra-recitation, emphasizing ritual propriety as part of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira about duties and norms. Here he specifies who is entitled/obligated to perform the saṃskāras and how—namely, with mantras—for the three varṇas he lists.