Shloka 41

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

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

Devanagari script

(पालाशो द्विजदण्ड: स्यादश्वत्थ: क्षत्रियस्य तु । औदुम्बरश्न वैश्यस्य धर्म एष युधिष्ठिर ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

pālāśo dvijadaṇḍaḥ syād aśvatthaḥ kṣatriyasya tu |

audumbaraś ca vaiśyasya dharma eṣa yudhiṣṭhira ||

dātuḥ pratigrahītuś ca dharmādharmāv imau śṛṇu |

brāhmaṇasyānṛte 'dharmaḥ proktaḥ pātakasaṃjñitaḥ |

caturguṇaḥ kṣatriyasya vaiśyasyāṣṭaguṇaḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Đối với Bà-la-môn, gậy phải bằng gỗ palāśa; đối với Sát-đế-lỵ, bằng gỗ aśvattha (cây bồ-đề/đa); và đối với Phệ-xá, bằng gỗ udumbara (cây sung chùm). Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, đó là quy tắc của dharma. Nay hãy nghe về điều phải và điều trái đối với người cho và người nhận của bố thí. Tội lỗi được gọi là ‘ác nghiệp’ mà một Bà-la-môn mắc phải khi nói dối, thì đối với Sát-đế-lỵ bị tính gấp bốn, và đối với Phệ-xá bị tính gấp tám.”

Word by Word

• पालाशः: made of palāśa wood
• पालाशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पालाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजदण्डः: the staff of a brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विजदण्डः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: should be / may be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अश्वत्थः: aśvattha (pippala) wood
• अश्वत्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षत्रियस्य: of the kṣatriya / for the kṣatriya
• क्षत्रियस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तु: but/and (contrastive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• औदुम्बरः: udumbara (gūlar) wood
• औदुम्बरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: औदुम्बर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वैश्यस्य: of the vaiśya / for the vaiśya
• वैश्यस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• धर्मः: rule/duty (dharma)
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एषः: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• brāhmaṇa (dvija)
• kṣatriya
• vaiśya
• palāśa (wood/tree)
• aśvattha (tree)
• udumbara (tree)
• daṇḍa (staff)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma links external markers of discipline (the prescribed staff-wood for each varṇa) with inner ethical accountability, emphasizing that falsehood is blameworthy for all, and that its moral weight is stated to increase for kṣatriyas and vaiśyas relative to brāhmaṇas in this teaching.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira asks about dharma; Bhīṣma continues his instruction by stating rules associated with varṇa conduct (including the proper staff) and then transitions to norms of giving and receiving gifts, introducing a graded discussion of wrongdoing connected to untruth.