Shloka 18

Tapas as the Root of Attainment (तपः—साधनमूलप्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

एषां पृथक्‌ समस्तानां श्रूयते मधुरस्वर: । पुष्पसम्मोदने काले वाशतां सुमनोहरम्‌,“वसन्त ऋतुमें अत्यन्त मनोरम बोली बोलनेवाले इन पक्षियोंका अलग-अलग तथा सबका एक साथ बड़ा मधुर स्वर सुनायी पड़ता है

Transliteration

eṣāṃ pṛthak samastānāṃ śrūyate madhurasvaraḥ | puṣpasammodane kāle vāśatāṃ sumanoharam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Whether heard one by one or all together, the birds’ voices are sweet. At the time when flowers are opening and delighting the senses—springtime—their calls become exceedingly charming.”

Word by Word

एषाम्of these

पृथक्separately

समस्तानाम्of all (together)

श्रूयतेis heard

मधुरस्वरःa sweet sound/voice

पुष्पसम्मोदनेin the delighting (time) of flowers / when flowers gladden

कालेat the time

वाशताम्of (those) crying/calling

सुमनोहरम्very charming/delightful

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

birds (pakṣiṇaḥ, implied)

spring season (vasanta, implied)

flowers

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?

Bhīṣma uses the sweetness of birdsong in spring as a calm, contemplative image: harmony can be perceived both in individual voices and in their collective chorus, encouraging a mind inclined toward peace and balanced appreciation rather than agitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva discourse, Bhīṣma describes the springtime scene—flowers blooming and birds calling—highlighting how their sounds are pleasing whether heard separately or together, as part of a broader reflective teaching to Yudhiṣṭhira.