Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

हर्यश्व॒स्य च दायाद: काशिराजो< भ्यषिच्यत । सुदेवो देवसंकाश: साक्षाद्‌ धर्म इवापर:

Transliteration

Haryaśvasya ca dāyādaḥ Kāśirājo 'bhyasicyata | Sudevo devasaṅkāśaḥ sākṣād dharma ivāparaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma nói: “Và người thừa tự của Haryaśva—vua xứ Kāśī—đã được làm lễ quán đỉnh đúng nghi. Sudeva ấy rực rỡ như một vị thần, hiện ra như thể chính Dharma trong một hình tướng khác.”

Word by Word

• हर्यश्वस्य: of Haryashva
• हर्यश्वस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर्यश्व
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

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

• दायादः: heir
• दायादः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दायाद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• काशिराजः: the king of Kashi
• काशिराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यषिच्यत: was anointed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-षिच्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Singular, Passive

• सुदेवः: Sudeva
• सुदेवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुदेव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देवसंकाशः: godlike, resembling a god
• देवसंकाशः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देवसंकाश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• साक्षात्: directly, manifestly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात्

• धर्मः: Dharma (righteousness personified)
• धर्मः: Upamana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अपरः: another, second
• अपरः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Haryaśva
• Kāśirāja (King of Kāśī)
• Kāśī
• Sudeva
• Dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate succession and consecration are not merely political acts; the ideal ruler should embody Dharma—so visibly that his conduct seems like righteousness personified.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes the installation of Haryaśva’s heir as king of Kāśī, identifying him as Sudeva and praising him as god-like and comparable to Dharma in human form.