Shloka 6

Dāna–Tapaḥ Praśaṃsā and Gṛhastha-Upadeśa

Maitreya

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच सो<प्यरण्यमनुप्राप्य पुनरेव युधिष्ठिर । महर्षेर्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रजा धर्मेण पाल्य च

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca: so 'py araṇyam anuprāpya punar eva yudhiṣṭhira | maharṣer vacanaṃ śrutvā prajā dharmeṇa pālya ca ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, bậc vương giả tối thượng! Sinh linh nhỏ bé ấy (xưa từng là con sâu), lại vào rừng, nghe lời chỉ dạy của bậc đại hiền, rồi cai trị và che chở muôn dân theo đúng dharma. Sau đó, nó trở lại rừng lần nữa, chẳng bao lâu liền qua đời, đi về cõi sau; và nhờ uy lực của dharma hộ dân, nó được tái sinh trong một dòng dõi Bà-la-môn.”

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अरण्यम्: forest
• अरण्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अनुप्राप्य: having reached
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-प्र-आप्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

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

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhishthira
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• महर्षेः: of the great sage
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वचनम्: word/statement
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• प्रजाः: subjects/people
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• धर्मेण: by/according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• पाल्य: having protected/ruled
• Type: Verb
• Root: पाल्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Mahārṣi (Vyāsa, implied by context)
• Araṇya (forest)
• Prajā (subjects/people)
• Brāhmaṇa-kula (Brahmin lineage, as rebirth outcome)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights rājadharma: a ruler’s foremost ethical duty is to protect and sustain the people according to dharma. Such righteous governance is presented as spiritually potent, yielding auspicious results even beyond death (karmaphala leading to higher rebirth).

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma recounts that a being from a previous state (described in the surrounding context as a former creature) goes to the forest, hears a great sage’s counsel, then rules and protects the subjects righteously. After returning to the forest, he dies and, due to the merit of that dharma of protecting subjects, attains rebirth in a brāhmaṇa family.