Shloka 41

Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)

Devanagari script

दैवतं हि महच्छुद्धा पवित्र यजतां च यत्‌ । दैवतं हि परं विप्रा: स्वेन स्वेन परस्परम्‌

Transliteration

daivataṃ hi mahacchuddhā pavitra yajātāṃ ca yat | daivataṃ hi paraṃ viprāḥ svena svena parasparam ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：“诸位清净者啊，凡伟大而能净化、堪受行祭者礼敬之物，便真是‘神圣’。诚然，婆罗门们啊，对你们每一个人而言，最高的神性就在彼此之中，各各以其方式而显。”

Word by Word

• दैवतं: the divine / deity
• दैवतं: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शुद्धाः: pure (ones)
• शुद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पवित्रम्: purifier; sacred (thing)
• पवित्रम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यजताम्: of those who worship/sacrifice
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)

• यत्: which/that (what)
• यत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• दैवतं: the divine / deity
• दैवतं: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)

• परम्: supreme, highest
• परम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• विप्राः: brahmins, sages
• विप्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वेन: by/with one's own
• स्वेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• स्वेन: by/with (his) own
• स्वेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• परस्परम्: mutually, one another
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma reframes ‘divinity’ ethically: what is truly divine is that which is great and purifying, and for the learned (viprāḥ) the highest object of reverence is mutual—recognizing sacred worth in one another according to each person’s proper role and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhīṣma addresses the assembled sages/brāhmaṇas and teaches that holiness is not merely ritual; it is embodied in purifying greatness and in reciprocal honor among the righteous.