Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच शृणुष्वावहितो राजन्‌ द्विजानां भरतर्षभ | यथा तत्त्वेन वदतो गुणान्‌ वै कुरुसत्तम

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājan dvijānāṃ bharatarṣabha | yathā tattvena vadato guṇān vai kurusattama ||

Translation

Vāyudeva nói: “Tâu Đại vương, bậc tráng kiện nhất trong dòng Bharata, xin hãy lắng nghe với trọn sự chú tâm. Ta sẽ thuật, đúng theo chân lý, những đức hạnh của hàng ‘nhị sinh’ (brāhmaṇa), hỡi bậc ưu tú nhất trong nhà Kuru.”

Word by Word

• {'vāyudevaḥ': 'the Wind-god

• Vāyu', 'uvāca': 'said

• spoke', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'āvahitaḥ': 'attentive

• composed', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'dvijānām': 'of the twice-born

• especially brāhmaṇas (genitive plural)', 'bharatarṣabha': 'O bull among the Bharatas

• best of the Bharata lineage', 'yathā': 'as

• in the manner that', 'tattvena': 'in truth

• accurately', 'vadato': 'of (me) speaking

• as one who speaks (genitive singular participle)', 'guṇān': 'virtues

• merits (accusative plural)', 'vai': 'indeed

• surely (emphatic particle)', 'kurusattama': 'O best among the Kurus (vocative)'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (Vāyu)
• King (rājan)
• Bharata lineage (Bharata)
• Kuru lineage (Kuru)
• Dvija/Brāhmaṇas (twice-born)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces an ethical instruction: the speaker (Vāyudeva) will present a truthful, accurate account of the virtues (guṇas) expected of the dvijas—especially brāhmaṇas—framing them as standards relevant to dharma and social responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva addresses a king from the Bharata–Kuru line, urging attentive listening, and begins a didactic discourse that will enumerate and explain the qualities of brāhmaṇas.