Shloka 5

Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter

Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation

Devanagari script

मेरे सारथिको अत्यन्त मोह छा गया था। वह बाणोंके आघातसे पृथ्वीपर गिरा और अचेत हो गया ।।

Transliteration

tataḥ sūto 'jahāt prāṇān rāma-bāṇa-prapīḍitaḥ | muhūrtād iva rājendra māṃ ca bhīr āviśat tadā ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Dann gab mein Wagenlenker, von den Pfeilen Ramas (Parashuramas) schwer gequält, sein Leben auf. Und, o König, in eben diesem Augenblick—fast im Nu—drang Furcht in mein Herz.“

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tataḥ', 'definition': 'then

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'sūtaḥ', 'definition': 'charioteer

• driver (also a court bard by class, but here ‘charioteer’)'}, {'term': 'ajahāt prāṇān', 'definition': 'abandoned life-breaths

• died'}, {'term': 'rāma-bāṇa', 'definition': 'Rama’s arrows (i.e., Parashurama’s arrows)'}, {'term': 'prapīḍitaḥ', 'definition': 'severely afflicted

• tormented'}, {'term': 'muhūrtāt iva', 'definition': 'as if within a moment

• almost instantly'}, {'term': 'rājendra', 'definition': 'O best of kings (address to the listener, typically Dhritarashtra)'}, {'term': 'mām', 'definition': 'me'}, {'term': 'bhīḥ', 'definition': 'fear

• dread'}, {'term': 'āviśat', 'definition': 'entered

• took hold of'}, {'term': 'tadā', 'definition': 'then

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Rama (Parashurama)
• Suta (Bhishma’s charioteer)
• King (rājendra—addressee, traditionally Dhritarashtra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the greatest warriors are not immune to fear when confronted with overwhelming force and sudden loss. The verse underscores the human cost of combat—innocents like charioteers perish—and hints at the ethical weight borne by those who choose or are bound to fight.

What is happening in the narrative?

During Bhishma’s encounter with Parashurama, Bhishma’s charioteer is struck and fatally afflicted by Parashurama’s arrows. The charioteer dies, and Bhishma admits that fear seized him at that moment.