Shloka 28

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

सर्वान्‌ दृष्टवा तदहं धर्मराज- मवोचं वै प्रभविष्णुं पुराणम्‌ क्षीरस्यैता: सर्पिषश्नैव नद्य: शश्वत्सत्रोता: कस्य भोज्या: प्रदिष्टा:

Transliteration

sarvān dṛṣṭvā tad ahaṃ dharmarājam avoceṃ vai prabhaviṣṇuṃ purāṇam | kṣīrasya etāḥ sarpiṣaś caiva nadyaḥ śaśvat-srotāḥ kasya bhojyāḥ pradiṣṭāḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“见此种种，我便对那古老而威能的法王（达摩罗阇）启言：‘主宰啊！这些乳河与酥油之河，长流不息，源泉永不枯竭——究竟被指定为谁的食用之资？’”

Word by Word

• सर्वान्: all (of them)
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• तत्: that/then
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: Common, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मराजम्: Dharmarāja (Yama)
• धर्मराजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवोचम्: I said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Aorist (लुङ्), 1, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• प्रभविष्णुम्: mighty/powerful
• प्रभविष्णुम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभविष्णु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुराणम्: ancient
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुराण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• क्षीरस्य: of milk
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• एताः: these
• एताः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्पिषः: of ghee
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• शश्वत्: always/continually
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शश्वत्

• स्रोताः: streams/sources
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रोतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कस्य: of whom/whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• भोज्याः: to be enjoyed/consumed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोज्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural, यत् (gerundive; fit to be enjoyed/consumed)

• प्रदिष्टाः: assigned/prescribed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दिś्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle), Passive (PPP sense)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Dharmaraja (Yama, Lord of Dharma)
• rivers of milk (kṣīra-nadī)
• rivers of ghee (sarpiṣ-nadī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into how enjoyment and sustenance in the otherworld are apportioned: unending abundance is not random but ‘assigned’ according to moral law (dharma) and the fruits of actions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, after witnessing a wondrous scene of inexhaustible rivers of milk and ghee, questions Dharmaraja (Yama) about who is entitled to partake of them—prompting an explanation of karmic entitlement and the distribution of rewards.