Shloka 22

राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)

Devanagari script

अदण्ड्याश्रैव ते पुत्र विप्राश्न ददतां वर । भूतमेतत्‌ परं लोके ब्राह्मणो नाम पाण्डव

Transliteration

adaṇḍyāś caiva te putra viprāś ca na dadatāṃ vara | bhūtam etat paraṃ loke brāhmaṇo nāma pāṇḍava ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：“孩子啊，施者之最，般度之子啊，你切不可惩罚婆罗门。这是世间至高的准则：婆罗门被视为众生之首。”

Word by Word

• अदण्ड्याः: not to be punished
• अदण्ड्याः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदण्ड्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• ते: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्र: O son
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विप्राः: Brahmins
• विप्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• दण्ड्याः: to be punished/punishable
• दण्ड्याः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दण्ड्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ददताम्: let (them) give / may (they) give
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Imperative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• वर: O best/excellent one
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भूतम्: a fact/that which is (true)
• भूतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परम्: supreme/highest
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नाम: indeed/by name (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम

• पाण्डव: O Pandava
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pāṇḍava
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king should exercise restraint and avoid punishing Brahmins; Bhishma frames this as a supreme social-ethical principle, emphasizing reverence for learning and the priestly class within rājadharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, praising him as ‘best among givers’ and laying down a rule about how a ruler should treat Brahmins.