Mahabharata · 1.99.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
भीष्म उवाच
पुनर् भरतवंशस्य हेतुं संतानवृद्धये ॥
वक्ष्यामि नियतं मातस् तन् मे निगदतः शृणु ॥
ब्राह्मणो गुणवान् कश् चिद् धनेनोपनिमन्त्र्यताम् ॥
विचित्रवीर्यक्षेत्रेषु यः समुत्पादयेत् प्रजाः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
bhīṣma uvāca
punar bharatavaṃśasya hetuṃ saṃtānavṛddhaye ||
vakṣyāmi niyataṃ mātas tan me nigadataḥ śṛṇu ||
brāhmaṇo guṇavān kaś cid dhanenopanimantryatām ||
vicitravīryakṣetreṣu yaḥ samutpādayet prajāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
भीष्मः उवाच पुनः भरतवंशस्य हेतुं संतानवृद्धये वक्ष्यामि नियतं मातः तत् मे निगदतः शृणुbhīṣmaḥ uvāca punaḥ bharatavaṃśasya hetuṃ saṃtānavṛddhaye vakṣyāmi niyataṃ mātaḥ tat me nigadataḥ śṛṇuBhishma said: again, O mother, I will surely tell you a means for the increase of the offspring of the Bharata line; hear what I say
ब्राह्मणः गुणवान् कश्चित् धनेन उपनिमन्त्र्यताम् विचित्रवीर्यक्षेत्रेषु यः समुत्पादयेत् प्रजाःbrāhmaṇaḥ guṇavān kaścit dhanena upanimantryatām vicitravīryakṣetreṣu yaḥ samutpādayet prajāḥlet some worthy brahmin be invited with wealth [as reward], who would beget offspring on the "fields" (wives) of Vichitravirya
भीष्मbhīṣmaoriginal form "bhīṣma", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुनर्punaroriginal form "punar", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मातस्mātasoriginal form "mātas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form "tan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्राह्मणोbrāhmaṇooriginal form "brāhmaṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form "kaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form "cid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धनेनोपनिमन्त्र्यताम्dhanenopanimantryatāmoriginal form "dhanenopanimantryatām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Bhishma said: "Again, O mother, I will surely tell you a means for the increase of the offspring of the Bharata line; hear what I say. Let some worthy brahmin be invited with wealth [as reward], who would beget offspring on the 'fields' (wives) of Vichitravirya."
Version
5434bb30961e · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:16:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Bhishma points to the lawful path of niyoga: to invite a worthy brahmin so that he might beget offspring on the widows of his brother. Telling is the very word "field" (kshetra) for a wife: the wife is likened to a field, the husband to the sower, and the child to the harvest; by this image the child belongs to the "owner of the field" — the husband, for whose lineage it is born. Here it becomes clear that niyoga presupposes not passion but the sober fulfillment of duty, like sowing a field for a harvest, not for pleasure. Telling too is the requirement placed on the one who begets — that he be "worthy" (gunavan): not everyone will do, only the righteous, for the qualities of the parent pass to the offspring. Here is a concern for good seed: the child inherits not only appearance but also character and spiritual inclinations from the one who begets; therefore the continuation of a sacred line requires a begetter of high dharma. And it is telling that Bhishma, faithful to his vow, points to a path in which he himself takes no part, yet which preserves both his word and the lineage. Thus scripture reveals the resourcefulness of dharma: a good end is reached by a good, permitted means, and care for the lineage is joined with care for the purity of the seed.