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

毗湿摩说道：“婆罗门为两足众生之最胜，因为他知已往之事，亦知未至之事。噢婆罗多族中最卓越者，唯有明了自身之法（dharma）并依之而行者，才是真正的婆罗门。”

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.