Shloka 41

अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः

Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच एतदू वै सर्वमाख्यातं मुनिना सुमहात्मना । विदेहराजाय पुरा श्रेयसो<र्थे नराधिप,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! प्राचीनकालमें महात्मा पराशर मुनिने विदेहराज जनकके कल्याणके लिये यह सब उपदेश दिया था

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | etad u vai sarvam ākhyātaṃ muninā sumahātmanā | videharājāya purā śreyaso 'rthe narādhipa |

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Tâu Đại vương, tất cả những điều này thuở xưa đã được vị hiền triết đại hồn truyền dạy đầy đủ cho vua xứ Videha, vì lợi ích tối thượng của ngài. Bởi vậy, điều ta thuật lại cho ngài chính là lời giáo huấn đã được xác lập và truyền thừa, nhằm mưu cầu phúc lợi cho bậc quân vương.”

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• उ: indeed/also (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ

• वै: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• सर्वम्: all, the whole (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• आख्यातम्: told, narrated
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या
• Form: kta (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• मुनिना: by the sage
• मुनिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सुमहात्मना: by the very great-souled (one)
• सुमहात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• विदेहराजाय: to the king of Videha
• विदेहराजाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदेहराज
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly, in ancient times
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• श्रेयसः: of welfare/the good
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अर्थे: for the sake/purpose
• अर्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नराधिप: O lord of men (king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira
• Parashara (sage)
• Janaka (king of Videha)
• Videha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma emphasizes that the counsel being delivered is not novel opinion but an authoritative, time-tested instruction originally taught by a great sage to King Janaka for his highest welfare (śreyas), underscoring the ethical weight of traditional dharma-teachings for rulers.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira and frames the preceding (or ongoing) discourse as a transmission of ancient wisdom: the sage Parashara once taught the same to Janaka of Videha for his good, and Bhishma now relays it to Yudhishthira.