Shloka 23
Śrāddha-Kalpa: Pitṛ-Pūjā and Tithi-Phala (श्राद्धकल्पः पितृपूजा च तिथिफलम्)
Devanagari script
त्वया हि कुर्वता शास्त्र प्रमाणमिह पार्थिव
Transliteration
tvayā hi kurvatā śāstra-pramāṇam iha pārthiva, pramāṇam upanītā vai sthitāśva na vicālitāḥ |
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“噢，大王，凭你在此的行持——以圣典（śāstra）为真实准绳——你扶持并巩固了一切可为权威之法。你尊崇正序之根基，也未使那些安住于达摩（dharma）者从其道上动摇。”
Word by Word
[{'term''tvayā', 'definition': 'by you (instrumental singular of ‘you’)'}, {'term': 'hi', 'definition': 'indeed, for'}, {'term': 'kurvatā', 'definition': 'by (you) acting/doing
[{'term':
by your conduct (instrumental singular present participle)'}, {'term''śāstra-pramāṇam', 'definition': 'the śāstra as the standard/authority
by your conduct (instrumental singular present participle)'}, {'term':
scriptural norm as valid proof'}, {'term''iha', 'definition': 'here, in this matter/context'}, {'term': 'pārthiva', 'definition': 'O king, ruler of the earth'}, {'term': 'pramāṇam', 'definition': 'authoritative measure, valid proof, standard'}, {'term': 'upanītāḥ', 'definition': 'brought forward/established/led to (a standard)
scriptural norm as valid proof'}, {'term':
made authoritative (past passive participle, plural)'}, {'term''vai', 'definition': 'indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)'}, {'term': 'sthitāḥ', 'definition': 'standing firm, established, steadfast'}, {'term': 'aśva', 'definition': 'horse
made authoritative (past passive participle, plural)'}, {'term':
in context likely part of a compound/reading indicating ‘steadfast’ (textual uncertainty in the given line)'}, {'term''na', 'definition': 'not'}, {'term': 'vicālitāḥ', 'definition': 'shaken, made to deviate, unsettled (past passive participle, plural)'}]
in context likely part of a compound/reading indicating ‘steadfast’ (textual uncertainty in the given line)'}, {'term':
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaP
Pārthiva (the king addressed; contextually Yudhiṣṭhira)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Educational Q&A
A ruler should ground decisions and personal conduct in śāstra (normative tradition) so that dharma remains the recognized standard and the righteous are not destabilized by the king’s example.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king in Anuśāsana Parva, praises the king’s adherence to śāstric authority and notes that such conduct reinforces moral order and keeps dharma-minded people steady rather than confused or led astray.