Shloka 8

Devanagari script

महोल्केव च भीष्मस्य मूर्थदेशाज्जनाधिप

Transliteration

maholkeva ca bhīṣmasya mūrdhadeśāj janādhipa

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: O king, from the region of Bhīṣma’s head there appeared something like a great blazing firebrand—an ominous radiance that marked the gravity of that moment and the grandsire’s extraordinary state as he lay upon his bed of arrows.

Word by Word

• महा: great
• महा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• उल्का: meteor; firebrand
• उल्का: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उल्का
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• इव: like; as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भीष्मस्य: of Bhishma
• भीष्मस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• मूर्धदेशात्: from the head-region (from the top of the head)
• मूर्धदेशात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धदेश
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• जनाधिप: O lord of people (O king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhīṣma
• Janādhipa (the king addressed, i.e., Janamejaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how extraordinary moral and spiritual moments in the epic are often accompanied by symbolic signs (portents). Such imagery frames Bhīṣma’s condition as not merely physical suffering but a dharmic culmination, inviting reflection on duty, endurance, and the solemnity of righteous instruction near life’s end.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to the king, a striking phenomenon—likened to a great firebrand—appears from Bhīṣma’s head-region. It functions as a dramatic marker within the scene of Bhīṣma lying on the battlefield, emphasizing the intensity and significance of the events surrounding him.