Shloka 10

Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’

Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

भो राजन्‌ केन यष्टव्यमजेनाहोस्विदौषधै:

Transliteration

bho rājan kena yaṣṭavyam ajenāho svid auṣadhaiḥ

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Muôn tâu Đại vương, nên cử hành tế lễ bằng gì—bằng dê, hay bằng các dược thảo?”

Word by Word

• भो: O! (vocative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• केन: by what? with what?
• केन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यष्टव्यम्: is to be sacrificed / should one sacrifice
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज्
• Form: Gerundive (tavya), Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Obligation/necessity

• अजेन: with a goat
• अजेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अहो: or rather / indeed (exclamatory particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो

• स्वित्: perhaps? (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वित्

• औषधैः: with herbs/medicinal plants
• औषधैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: औषधि
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• King (rājan)
• goat (aja)
• herbs/medicinal plants (auṣadhi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical-ritual dilemma: whether a sacrifice should involve animal offering (goat) or be performed with non-violent substitutes (herbs). It points toward reflective discernment in dharma—how ritual action should align with moral considerations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses the king and poses a pointed question about the proper mode of sacrifice, contrasting an animal offering with an offering of herbs. The line functions as a prompt within a broader discussion on righteous conduct and the legitimacy or alternatives of sacrificial practice.