Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पिता मम महातेजा: शान्लनुर्निधनं गतः । तस्य दित्सुरहं श्राद्ध गंगाद्वारमुपागमम्‌,मेरे महातेजस्वी पिता महाराज शान्तनुका जब देहावसान हो गया तब मैं उनका श्राद्ध करनेके लिये गंगाद्वार तीर्थ (हरद्वार)-में गया

Transliteration

pitā mama mahātejāḥ śāntanur nidhanaṃ gataḥ | tasya ditsur ahaṃ śrāddhaṃ gaṅgādvāram upāgamam ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Als mein ruhmreicher Vater, König Śāntanu, dahingeschieden war, begab ich mich nach Gaṅgādvāra, um die śrāddha-Riten zu vollziehen, entschlossen, die gebührenden Ahnenopfer darzubringen.“

Word by Word

पिताfather

ममof me, my

महातेजाःvery glorious, of great splendor

शान्तनुःŚāntanu

निधनम्death, end

गतःgone, attained

तस्यof him, his

दित्सुःwishing to give/offer

अहम्I

श्राद्धम्śrāddha rite (funeral offering)

गङ्गाद्वारम्Gaṅgā-dvāra (Haridvāra)

उपागमम्I went/approached

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Śāntanu

Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar)

Śrāddha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights pitṛ-dharma (duty toward one’s father/ancestors): after a parent’s death, performing śrāddha at a sacred tīrtha is presented as a righteous, socially and spiritually sanctioned obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma recounts that after King Śāntanu’s death, he traveled to Gaṅgādvāra (Haridwar) to carry out the śrāddha ceremonies for his father.