Shloka 13

पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient

Devanagari script

आगतानागते चोभे ब्राह्मणो द्विपदं वर: । ब्राह्मणो भरतश्रेष्ठ स्वरधर्म चैव वेद यः:

Transliteration

āgatānāgate cobhe brāhmaṇo dvipadaṃ varaḥ | brāhmaṇo bharataśreṣṭha svadharmaṃ caiva veda yaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Bà-la-môn là bậc tối thượng trong loài hai chân, vì biết cả điều đã qua và điều chưa đến. Hỡi bậc ưu tú của dòng Bharata, người nào hiểu dharma của chính mình và sống theo đó, người ấy mới thật là Bà-la-môn.”

Word by Word

• आगत: come, arrived (i.e., the past)
• आगत: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आगत (√गम् + आ, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अनागत: not yet come (i.e., the future)
• अनागत: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनागत (na + √गम् + आ, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• उभे: both
• उभे: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Dual

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विपदम्: the two-footed (i.e., mankind)
• द्विपदम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विपद
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वरः: best, excellent
• वरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भरतश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• स्वधर्मम्: one's own duty
• स्वधर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• वेद: knows
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharataśreṣṭha (Yudhiṣṭhira, implied addressee)
• Brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines true Brāhmaṇa-hood not merely by birth but by knowledge and lived adherence to svadharma: the highest human is the one who understands dharma and practices it.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-ethical ideals; here he praises the Brāhmaṇa as foremost among humans and frames the criterion as knowing and following one’s proper duty.