युधिष्ठिर उवाच यथा ज्येष्ठः कनिष्ठेषु वर्तेत भरतर्षभ। कनिष्ठाश्च यथा ज्येष्ठे वर्तेरंस्तद् ब्रवीहि मे॥
Yudhishthira said Tell me, O chief of Bharata's race, how the eldest brother should treat his younger brothers, and how the younger brothers should behave towards their eldest brother.
भीष्म उवाच ज्येष्ठवत् तात वर्तस्व ज्येष्ठोऽसि सततं भवान्। गुरोर्गरीयसी वृत्तिर्या च शिष्यस्य भारत॥
Bhishma said Do you, O son, always behave towards your younger brothers as their eldest brother should. You are always the eldest of all these your brothers. You should always treat your younger brothers in the way in which a preceptor treats his disciples.
न गुरावकृतप्रज्ञे शक्यं शिष्येण वर्तितुम्। गुरोहिं दीर्घदर्शित्वं यत् तच्छिष्यस्य भारत॥
If the preceptor happens to happens the disciple cannot possibly behave towards him in a respectful or proper way. If the preceptor is possessed of purity and good conduct, the disciple also succeeds in acquiring conduct of the same kind, O Bharata.
अन्धः स्यादन्धवेलायां जडः स्यादपि वा बुधः। परिहारेण तद् ब्रूयाद् यस्तेषां स्याद् व्यतिक्रमः॥
The eldest brother should at times not notice the acts of his younger brothers, and though possessed of wisdom should at times act as if he does not understand their acts. If the younger brothers be guilty of any sin, the eldest brother should correct them by indirect ways and means.
प्रत्यक्षं भिन्नहृदया भेदयेयुः कृतं नराः। श्रियाभितप्ताः कौन्तेय भेदकामास्तथारयः॥
If there be good understanding among brothers and if the oldest brother seeks to correct his younger brothers by director ostensible means, persons who are enemies, O son of Kunti, who feel pain on seeing such good understanding and who, therefore, always seek to bring about a disunion, try to disunite the brothers and sow dissension among them.
ज्येष्ठः कुलं वर्धयति विनाशयति वा पुनः। हन्ति सर्वमपि ज्येष्ठः कुलं यत्रावजायते॥
It is the eldest brother who increases the prosperity of the family or destroys it entirely. If the eldest brother happens to be not gifted with sense and wicked in conduct, he encompasses the destruction of the whole family.
अथ वो विनिकुर्वीत ज्येष्ठो भ्राता यवीयसः। अज्येष्ठः स्यादभागश्च नियम्यो राजभिश्च सः॥
That eldest brother who injures his younger brothers ceases to be considered as the eldest and forfeits his share in the family property and deserves to be checked by the king.
निकृती हि नरो लोकान् पापान् गच्छत्यसंशयम्। विदुलस्येव तत् पुष्पं मोघं जनयितुः स्मृतम्॥
That man who acts deceitfully, has, forsooth, to go to the regions of grief and every kind of evil. The birth of such a person is of no avail like the flowers of the cane.
सर्वानर्थः कुले यत्र जायते पापपूरुषः। अकीर्ति जनयत्येव कीर्तिमन्तर्दधाति च॥
That family in which a sinful person is born becomes subject to every evil. Such a person brings about infamy, and all the good deeds of the family disappear.
सर्वे चापि विकर्मस्था भागं नार्हन्ति सोदराः। नाप्रदाय कनिष्ठेभ्यो ज्येष्ठः कुर्वीत यौतकम्॥
Such among the brothers as are addicted to wicked deeds forfeit their shares of the family property. In such a case, the eldest brother may appropriate the entire joint property without giving any portion thereof to his younger brothers.
अनुपघ्नन् पितुर्दायं जंघाश्रमफलोऽध्वगः। स्वयमीहितलब्धं तु नाकामो दातुमर्हति॥
If the eldest brother makes any money, without using the paternal property and by going to a distant place he may appropriate for his own use, such wealth without giving any share thereof to his younger brothers.
भ्रातृणामविभक्तानामुत्थानमपि चेत् सह। न पुत्रभागं विषमं पिता दद्यात् कदाचन॥
If brothers wish (during the lifetime of their father) to partition the family property, the father should give equal shares to all his sons.
न ज्येष्ठो वावमन्येत दुष्कृतः सुकृतोऽपि वा। यदि स्त्री यद्यवरजः श्रेयश्चेत् तत् तदाचरेत्॥
If the eldest brother happens to be a vicious man and without any accomplishments, he inay be disregarded by his younger brothers. If the wife or the younger brother happens to be sinful, her or his good must still be looked alier.
धर्मं हि श्रेय इत्याहुरिति धर्मविदो जनाः। दशाचार्यानुपाध्याय उपाध्यायान् पिता दश॥
Persons conversant with the efficacy of righteousness hold that virtue is the highest good. The Upadhyaya is superior to even ten Acharyyas. The father is equal to ten Upadhyayas.
दश चेव पितॄन् माता सर्वां वा पृथिवीमपि। गौरवेणाभिभवति नास्ति मातृसमो गुरुः॥
The mother is equal to ten fathers or even the whole Earth. There is no senior equal to the mother. Indeed, she is above all in respect of the reverence due to her.
माता गरीयसी यच्च तेनैतां मन्यते जनः। ज्येष्ठो भ्राता पितृसमो मृते पितरि भारत॥
It is, therefore, that people regard the mother to deserve so much respect. After the demise of the father, O Bharata, the eldest brother should be considered as the father.
स ह्येषां वृत्तिदाता स्यात् स चैतान् प्रतिपालयेत्। कनिष्ठास्तं नमस्येरन् सर्वे छन्दानुवर्तिनः॥ तमेव चोपजीवरेन् यथैव पितरं तथा।
It is the eldest brother who should assign to them their means of support and protect and maintain them. All the younger brothers should bow to him and obey his command. Indeed, they should depend upon him, as they did upon their father during his lifetime.
शरीरमेतौ सृजतः पिता माता च भारत॥ आचार्यशास्ता या जाति: सा सत्या साजरामरा।
So far as the body is concerned, O Bharata, it is the father and the mother who creates it. That birth, however, which the Acharya ordains, is considered as the true birth which is really unfading and immortal.
ज्येष्ठा मातृसमा चापि भगिनी भरतर्षभ॥ भ्रातुर्भार्या च तद्वत् स्याद् यस्या बाल्ये स्तनं पिबेत्।।
The eldest sister, O chief of Bharata's race, is like a mother. The wife of the eldest brother also is like the mother, for the younger brother, in infancy receives nursing from her.