Shloka 2

Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā

Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि नीतिमापत्सु भारत । उत्सृज्यापि घृणां काले यथा वर्तेत भूमिप:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣyāmi nītim āpatsu bhārata | utsṛjyāpi ghṛṇāṃ kāle yathā varteta bhūmipaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Hier will ich dir, o Bhārata, die Politik darlegen, die in Zeiten des Unheils zu befolgen ist—wie ein König, wenn es der Augenblick verlangt, mit rechtzeitiger Entschlossenheit handeln soll, selbst wenn er dabei das Mitleid beiseitelegen muss.“

Word by Word

• {'atra': 'here, in this context', 'te': 'to you', 'vartayiṣyāmi': 'I shall relate/explain, I will set forth', 'nīti': 'policy, statecraft, practical ethics of governance', 'āpatsu': 'in calamities, in distressful times (locative plural of āpad)', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata

• descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'utsṛjya api': 'even after abandoning/setting aside', 'ghṛṇām': 'compassion, pity, tenderness (also: reluctance born of pity)', 'kāle': 'at the proper time

• in a critical moment', 'yathā': 'how, in what manner', 'varteta': 'should conduct himself

• ought to behave', 'bhūmipaḥ': 'protector of the earth

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira implied)
• bhūmipaḥ (the king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In times of crisis (āpaddharma), a ruler must prioritize timely, effective action for the protection of the realm, even if that requires setting aside personal compassion; governance demands situational judgment rather than sentiment alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue on kingship and duty, Bhishma begins to instruct Yudhiṣṭhira on emergency statecraft—introducing the principles a king should follow when calamity strikes.