Shloka 24

आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King

Devanagari script

अर्घ्य तत: समानीय पाद्यं चैव महानृषि: । आरण्येनैव विधिना राज्ञे सर्व न्यवेदयत्‌,तत्पश्चात्‌ उन महर्षिने तपोवनमें प्रचलित शिष्टाचारकी विधिसे राजाको पाद्य और अर्घ्य आदि सब वस्तुएँ अर्पित की

Transliteration

arghyaṁ tataḥ samānīya pādyaṁ caiva mahānṛṣiḥ | āraṇyenaiva vidhinā rājñe sarvaṁ nyavedayat ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Then the great sage brought the arghya (honor-offering) and the pādya (water for washing the feet), and—following the customary forest-ascetic code of hospitality—presented all these offerings to the king.

Word by Word

अर्घ्यम्arghya-offering (honorary water/oblation)

ततःthen/thereafter

समानीयhaving brought/collected

पाद्यम्water for washing the feet

चand

एवindeed/just

महानृषिःthe great sage

आरण्येनby/according to the forest (hermitage) custom

एवindeed/just

विधिनाby the prescribed procedure

राज्ञेto the king

सर्वम्all (these things)

न्यवेदयत्offered/presented

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

great sage (mahānṛṣi)

king (rājā)

arghya

pādya

forest hermitage custom (āraṇya-vidhi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is expressed through disciplined hospitality and respectful protocol: even in an austere forest setting, proper offerings like pādya and arghya are made to honor a guest—especially a king—according to established sadācāra.

What is happening in the narrative?

A great sage receives a visiting king in the hermitage and, following the customary woodland rules, brings and presents the standard honor-offerings (pādya and arghya) as part of formal reception.