Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अत्रिर॒वाच कथं रक्षामि भवतस्ते<ब्रुवंश्वन्द्रमा भव । तिमिरघ्नश्न सविता दस्युहन्ता च नो भव,अत्रिने कहा--मैं किस प्रकार आपलोगोंकी रक्षा करूँ? देवता बोले--“आप अन्धकारको नष्ट करनेवाले चन्द्रमा और सूर्यका रूप धारण कीजिये और हमारे शत्रु बने हुए इन डाकू दानवोंका नाश कर डालिये'

Transliteration

atrir uvāca: kathaṁ rakṣāmi bhavatas te? bruvan: candramā bhava; timiraghnaś ca savitā, dasyuhantā ca no bhava.

Translation

قال أَتْرِي: «كيف أحميكم؟» فأجابت الآلهة: «كُنْ قمرًا، وكُنْ شمسًا تَطرد الظلام؛ ولأجلنا كُنْ قاتلَ أولئك الأعداء المغيرين—تلك الشياطين التي كالعصابات.»

Word by Word

अत्रिःAtri (the sage)

उवाचsaid

कथम्how

रक्षामिdo I protect

भवतःof you (honorific)

तेthey / those (i.e., the gods)

अब्रुवन्said

चन्द्रमाthe Moon

भवbe (become)

तिमिरघ्नःdarkness-destroying

नःof us / our

सविताthe Sun

दस्युहन्ताslayer of robbers/enemies

चand

नःof us / our

भवbe (become)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Atri

Devas (the gods)

Candramā (Moon)

Savitā (Sun)

Dasyu (marauders/raiders)

Dānavas (demons, as per the accompanying sense)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Protection of the righteous may require assuming a role that dispels ignorance and fear (symbolized by darkness) and actively restrains destructive forces; ethical guardianship is both illuminating (guiding) and corrective (removing harm).

What is happening in the narrative?

Atri asks how he can safeguard the gods; they instruct him to take on the functions of the Moon and the Sun—dispelling darkness—and to destroy the hostile marauders/demonic enemies threatening them.