Shloka 24
Devanagari script
न मृत्युसेनामायान्तीं जातु कश्चित् प्रबाधते
Transliteration
na mṛtyusenām āyāntīṁ jātu kaścit prabādhate
Translation
Bhīṣma said: “No one, at any time, can obstruct the advancing army of Death.”
Word by Word
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
मृत्युसेनाम्the army of Death
मृत्युसेनाम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्युसेना
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
आयान्तीम्coming, approaching
आयान्तीम्:
Karma
TypeVerb
Rootआ-या
FormPresent active participle (शतृ), Feminine, Accusative, Singular
जातुever, at any time
जातु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootजातु
कश्चित्someone, anyone
कश्चित्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
प्रबाधतेhinders, obstructs
प्रबाधते:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र-बाध्
FormPresent (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaM
Mṛtyu (Death, personified)M
mṛtyusenā (army of Death)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
Death is inevitable and unstoppable; therefore one should focus on dharma, inner steadiness, and wise preparation rather than imagining that mortality can be defeated by force or avoidance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma is teaching about the nature of life and time; he uses the image of Death’s ‘army’ advancing to emphasize that all beings are subject to mortality.