Shloka 54

बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account

On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics

Devanagari script

अभ्मशभि श्षाभ्यवर्षन्त प्रदीप्तैश्न तथोल्मुकै:ः

Transliteration

abhramaśabhiḥ śilābhir varṣanta pradīptaiś ca tatholmukaiḥ

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “They rained down stones and blazing missiles, and also fiery brands, as though a storm of destruction were falling.”

Word by Word

• अश्मभिः: with stones
• अश्मभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अभ्यवर्षन्: they rained down (upon)
• अभ्यवर्षन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√वृष्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• प्रदीप्तैः: with blazing (ones)
• प्रदीप्तैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रदीप्त
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• तथा: and also / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• उल्मुकैः: with firebrands
• उल्मुकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: उल्मुक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• stones (śilā)
• firebrands (ulmuka)
• blazing missiles/weapons (pradīpta-)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the destructive momentum of violence: once conflict escalates, it manifests as indiscriminate showers of lethal force, reminding the listener of the ethical gravity and consequences that dharma seeks to restrain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes an intense assault in which combatants hurl stones and blazing weapons, including burning brands, creating an image of a devastating ‘rain’ of projectiles.