Shloka 231

Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command

Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa

Devanagari script

देवं चराचरात्मानं श्रीवत्साड्कं सुवर्चसम्‌ । पद्मनाभं च जानाति तमाहुस्तामसं बुधा:

Transliteration

devaṁ carācarātmānaṁ śrīvatsāṅkaṁ suvarcasam | padmanābhaṁ ca jānāti tam āhus tāmasaṁ budhāḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “One who recognizes the Lord—the very Self of all that moves and does not move—radiant, marked with the Śrīvatsa, and known as Padmanābha, yet still calls Him ‘tāmasa’ (of darkness/ignorance), is described by the wise as being in a state of tamas.”

Word by Word

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चराचरात्मानम्: whose self is the moving and the unmoving (i.e., the soul of all beings)
• चराचरात्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चराचरात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रीवत्साङ्कम्: marked with the Śrīvatsa (emblem)
• श्रीवत्साङ्कम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीवत्साङ्क
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सुवर्चसम्: of splendid radiance
• सुवर्चसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्चस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पद्मनाभम्: Padmanābha (lotus-naveled)
• पद्मनाभम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मनाभ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• जानाति: knows
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आहुः: they say / call
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• तामसम्: tamasic; of darkness/ignorance
• तामसम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामस
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• बुधाः: the wise (men)
• बुधाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Deva (the Lord)
• Śrīvatsa (mark/emblem)
• Padmanābha (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa)