Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पुत्र बवाच मृत्युनाभ्याहतो लोको जरया परिवारित: । अहोरात्रा: पतन्तीमे तच्च कस्मान्न बुद्धासे,पुत्र बोला--पिताजी! देखिये, मृत्यु सारे जगत्‌को पीट रही है। बुढ़ापेने इसे घेर लिया है। ये दिन और रात्रियाँ हमपर टूटी पड़ती हैं। इस बातको आप समझ क्‍यों नहीं रहे हैं?

Transliteration

putra uvāca mṛtyunābhyāhato loko jarayā parivāritaḥ | ahorātrāḥ patantīme tacca kasmān na buddhyase ||

Translation

পুত্ৰই ক’লে—পিতৃদেৱ! মৃত্যু সমগ্ৰ লোকক প্ৰহাৰ কৰিছে, আৰু জৰা (বাৰ্ধক্য) এ চাৰিওফালে ঘেৰাই ধৰিছে। এই দিন-ৰাতি নিৰন্তৰ আমাৰ ওপৰত পতিত হৈছে। তথাপি আপুনি এই কথা কিয় নুবুজে?

Word by Word

पुत्रःthe son

उवाचsaid

मृत्युनाby death

अभ्याहतःstruck down, smitten

लोकःthe world

जरयाby old age

परिवारितःsurrounded, encompassed

अहोरात्राःdays and nights

पतन्तिfall, descend

इमेthese

तत्that (fact)

कस्मात्why? from what reason?

नnot

बुद्ध्यसेyou understand/realize

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

putra (son)

pitā (father, implied)

mṛtyu (Death)

jarā (Old age)

loka (the world)

ahorātra (day and night)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse urges wakefulness to impermanence: death and old age are inevitable, and time (days and nights) relentlessly passes. Recognizing this is meant to provoke ethical seriousness, detachment from complacency, and timely pursuit of dharma and wisdom.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within Bhishma’s discourse, a son addresses his father, pointing out the universal condition—mortality, aging, and the ceaseless fall of time—and challenges him for not grasping this truth. The line functions as a sharp admonition meant to awaken reflection.