Shloka 113

Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

तयो: प्रीतो ददौ राजा पृथुर्वैन्य: प्रतापवान्‌ | अनूपदेशं सूताय मगधं मागधाय च

Transliteration

tayoḥ prīto dadau rājā pṛthur vainyaḥ pratāpavān | anūpadeśaṃ sūtāya magadhaṃ māgadhāya ca ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: Vui lòng cả hai, vua Pṛthu Vainya, bậc dũng mãnh oai hùng, đã ban thưởng. Ngài trao vùng Anūpa ven biển cho Sūta, và ban xứ Magadha cho Māgadha. Câu chuyện nêu rõ dharma của bậc quân vương: biết ghi nhận công lao và phân định lãnh thổ sao cho ổn định vai trò xã hội và trật tự chính trị.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two / to those two (contextually)
• तयोः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, dual

• प्रीतः: pleased
• प्रीतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रीत
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• ददौ: gave
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (दाने)
• Form: perfect (liṭ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• पृथुः: Pṛthu
• पृथुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथु
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• वैन्यः: son/descendant of Vena
• वैन्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैन्य
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• प्रतापवान्: mighty, valorous
• प्रतापवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• अनूपदेशम्: the Anūpa country (marsh/coastal region)
• अनूपदेशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनूपदेश
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• सूताय: to the Sūta
• सूताय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

• मगधम्: the Magadha country
• मगधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मगध
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• मागधाय: to the Māgadha
• मागधाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मागध
• Form: masculine, dative, singular

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

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King Prithu Vainya
• Vena
• Sūta
• Māgadha
• Anūpa (region)
• Magadha (kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A righteous king sustains order by acknowledging merit and service through appropriate rewards. Patronage is not mere generosity; it is a tool of governance that assigns responsibility, reinforces social functions (such as heralds/bards), and promotes stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Prithu, pleased with two professional figures—the Sūta and the Māgadha—grants them territorial rewards: the Anūpa region to the Sūta and Magadha to the Māgadha, formalizing their status and securing loyalty within his realm.