Shloka 9

आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King

Devanagari script

शिर: कायानुरूपं च कर्णो नेत्रे तथैव च । तस्य वाक्चैव चेष्टा च सामान्ये राजसत्तम,शरीरके अनुरूप ही उनके मस्तक, कान और नेत्र भी थे। नृपश्रेष्ठ] उनकी वाणी और चेष्टा साधारण थी

Transliteration

śiraḥ kāyānurūpaṃ ca karṇau netre tathaiva ca | tasya vāk caiva ceṣṭā ca sāmānye rājasattama ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Sein Haupt war seinem Körper angemessen; ebenso seine Ohren und Augen. O Bester der Könige, seine Rede und sein äußeres Gebaren waren hingegen ganz gewöhnlich.“

Word by Word

शिरःhead

कायानुरूपम्proportionate to the body

चand

कर्णःear

नेत्रेtwo eyes

तथाthus, likewise

एवindeed, just

चand

तस्यof him

वाक्speech

एवindeed

चेष्टाmovement, conduct

चand

सामान्येin the ordinary (state), ordinary

राजसत्तमO best of kings

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (addressed as rājasattama)

Head

Body

Ears

Eyes

Speech

Conduct

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?

External features may be well-formed, yet a person’s speech and conduct can remain plain; ethical evaluation should prioritize character and behavior over mere appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is describing a person to the king, noting that the individual’s bodily features were proportionate, while his speech and mannerisms were unremarkable—setting up a character portrait within Bhishma’s instruction.