Shloka 28

Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter

Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation

Devanagari script

महर्षय: कृपायुक्ता: क्रोधाविष्टोडथ भार्गव: । स मे5हरदमेयात्मा शरं कालानलोपमम्‌

Transliteration

maharṣayaḥ kṛpāyuktāḥ krodhāviṣṭo ’tha bhārgavaḥ | sa me ’harad ameyātmā śaraṃ kālānalopamam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Die großen ṛṣis, von Mitgefühl bewegt, schritten ein; doch der Bhārgava (Paraśurāma), vom Zorn ergriffen, mit unermesslicher Seele, entriss mir jenen Pfeil – einen Pfeil gleich dem Feuer der Zeit selbst.“

Word by Word

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृपायुक्ताः: endowed with compassion
• कृपायुक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृपायुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• क्रोधाविष्टः: possessed by anger
• क्रोधाविष्टः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रोधाविष्ट
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उत: and/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत

• भार्गवः: Bhārgava (Paraśurāma)
• भार्गवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• अहरत्: took away / seized
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अमेयात्मा: whose self is immeasurable (of immeasurable might)
• अमेयात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमेयात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शरम्: arrow
• शरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कालानलोपमम्: like the fire of Time (like the fire at the end of the age)
• कालानलोपमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालानलोपम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Maharṣis (great seers)
• Bhārgava (Paraśurāma)
• Śara (arrow/missile)
• Kālānala (the fire of Time)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Compassionate counsel (kṛpā) seeks to prevent harm, but anger (krodha) can override even venerable authority and turn power into destruction; ethical strength lies in restraint and right use of force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma recounts that compassionate sages were present, yet Paraśurāma—overcome by anger—took from Bhīṣma a fearsome arrow likened to the fire of Time, highlighting the escalating danger of the confrontation.