Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)

Devanagari script

पितामहस्य वदत: पुरा देवसमागमे । श्रुतवानस्मि यद्‌ राज॑ंस्तन्मे निगदत: शृणु,राजन! पूर्वकालकी बात है, एक दिन देवताओंकी सभामें ब्रह्माजी एक बात कह रहे थे जिसे मैंने सुना था, उसे बता रहा हूँ, सुनो

Transliteration

pitāmahasya vadataḥ purā devasamagame | śrutavān asmi yad rājan tan me nigadataḥ śṛṇu rājān ||

Translation

Chyavana nói: “Tâu đại vương, thuở xa xưa, trong hội chúng của chư thiên, ta đã nghe một lời do Đấng Tổ Phụ (Brahmā) phán dạy. Nay, tâu đại vương, xin hãy lắng nghe khi ta thuật lại chính giáo huấn ấy cho ngài.”

Word by Word

• {'pitāmaha': 'the Grandfather

• an epithet of Brahmā', 'vadataḥ': 'while speaking

• of one who is speaking (genitive/ablative sense in context)', 'purā': 'formerly

• in ancient times', 'deva-samāgama': 'gathering/assembly of the gods', 'śrutavān asmi': 'I have heard

• I heard (perfect sense)', 'yad': 'that which

• what', 'rājan': 'O king (vocative)', 'tat': 'that (referring to the previously mentioned statement)', 'me': 'by me

• to me', 'nigadataḥ': 'as I relate/tell (it)

• while recounting', 'śṛṇu': 'listen (imperative)'}

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Chyavana
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Devas (gods)
• King (Rājan; addressed listener)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse establishes the authority and reliability of the instruction that follows: Chyavana frames his counsel as a remembered teaching originally spoken by Brahmā in a divine assembly, implying it carries weight in matters of dharma and ethical conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Chyavana addresses a king and introduces a traditional account: he recalls hearing Brahmā speak in a gathering of the gods and now begins to narrate that statement to the king as guidance.