Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अथागम्य महातेजा नारदोडकथयद्‌ विभो | यथा हता महाभागैस्तेजसा ब्राह्मणै: कपा:,प्रभो! तदनन्तर महातेजस्वी नारदजीने आकर यह बात बतायी कि किस प्रकार महाभाग ब्राह्मणोंने अपने तेजसे कपोंका नाश किया है

Transliteration

athāgamya mahātejā nārado ’kathayad vibho | yathā hatā mahābhāgais tejasā brāhmaṇaiḥ kapāḥ prabho ||

Translation

Then the radiant sage Nārada came and reported, O Lord, how those illustrious brāhmaṇas, by the sheer power of their spiritual energy (tejas), had destroyed the Kapas.

Word by Word

अथthen

आगम्यhaving come/approached

महातेजाःthe very radiant one

नारदःNarada

उवाचsaid/told

विभोO mighty one

यथाhow/as

हताःwere slain/destroyed

महाभागैःby the fortunate/noble (ones)

तेजसाby (their) spiritual power/splendour

ब्राह्मणैःby Brahmins

कपाःthe Kapās (a group/name; context-specific)

प्रभोO lord

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Nārada

brāhmaṇas

Kapas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the potency of brāhmaṇical tejas (spiritual energy born of tapas and dharma): when aligned with righteousness, it can check or destroy harmful forces, implying that moral-spiritual authority can be stronger than mere physical power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma states that the great sage Nārada arrives and informs the addressed lord about the manner in which illustrious brāhmaṇas, through their tejas, brought about the destruction of the Kapas.