Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तां च धर्मेण सम्प्राप्प पालयेयमतन्द्रित: । चतुर्थ तु वरं याचे त्वामहं द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | tāṃ ca dharmeṇa samprāpya pālayeyam atandritaḥ | caturthaṃ tu varaṃ yāce tvām ahaṃ dvijasattama ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Nachdem ich dies (die Erde/die Herrschaft) gemäß dem Dharma erlangt habe, werde ich es ohne Nachlässigkeit schützen. Doch, o Bester der Brahmanen, erbitte ich von dir auch noch eine vierte Gabe.“

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (स्त्री. सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धर्मेण: by/according to dharma
• धर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• सम्प्राप्य: having obtained
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• पालयेयम्: I should protect/maintain
• Type: Verb
• Root: पालय् (पाल् causative; धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अतन्द्रितः: unwearied, vigilant
• अतन्द्रितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतन्द्रित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चतुर्थम्: a fourth
• चतुर्थम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• वरम्: boon
• वरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• याचे: I ask/beg
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (contextual), Accusative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (contextual), Nominative, Singular

• द्विजसत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तम: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Dvijasattama (addressed Brahmin sage/teacher; contextually Dattatreya in the accompanying prose)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate power must be acquired and exercised through dharma, and once obtained it must be protected with constant vigilance (atandrita). Ethical governance is presented as a duty, not merely a privilege.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker declares that after righteously attaining sovereignty (implied ‘the earth/kingdom’), he will govern it diligently; then he turns to the revered Brahmin and asks for an additional, fourth boon beyond the earlier requests.