Shloka 11

Kuru Prosperity under Bhīṣma and the Succession of Pāṇḍu (कुरुराष्ट्रसमृद्धिः पाण्डुराज्यप्राप्तिश्च)

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्‌ पुरुषशार्दूले निहते भूरितेजसि । भीष्म: शान्तनवो राजा प्रेतकार्याण्यकारयत्‌,उन महान्‌ तेजस्वी पुरुषसिंह चित्रांगदके मारे जानेपर शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्मने उनके प्रेतकर्म करवाये

Transliteration

tasmin puruṣaśārdūle nihate bhūritejasi | bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo rājā pretakāryāṇy akārayat ||

Translation

Als jener mächtige, strahlende Tiger unter den Menschen erschlagen war, vollzog Bhīṣma—der königliche Sohn Śantanus—die vorgeschriebenen Totenriten für ihn. Die Stelle betont die sittliche Pflicht, die Verstorbenen mit den rechten Riten zu ehren, selbst inmitten der Härte von Krieg und Verlust.

Word by Word

तस्मिन्in that (one/occasion)

पुरुषशार्दूलेin the tiger among men (hero)

निहतेwhen slain / in (him) slain

भूरितेजसिin (him) of great splendor

भीष्मःBhishma

शान्तनवःson of Shantanu

राजाthe king

प्रेतकार्याणिfuneral rites (acts for the departed)

अकारयत्caused to be performed / had (them) performed

Speaker

(गन्धर्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Śantanu

Citrāṅgada (implied by context as the slain hero)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma in the form of pretakārya—performing proper funerary rites for the deceased. Even after violence and loss, one must uphold social and sacred obligations that honor the dead and maintain moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

A great hero (understood in context as Citrāṅgada) has been killed. Bhīṣma, identified as Śantanu’s son and a royal figure, arranges and performs the funerary rites for the fallen person.