Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मेरे सारथिको अत्यन्त मोह छा गया था। वह बाणोंके आघातसे पृथ्वीपर गिरा और अचेत हो गया ।। ततः सूतो$जहात्‌ प्राणान्‌ रामबाणप्रपीडित: । मुहूर्तादिव राजेन्द्र मां च भीराविशत्‌ तदा,राजेन्द्र! परशुरामजीके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित होनेके कारण दो ही घड़ीमें सूतने प्राण त्याग दिये। उस समय मेरे मनमें बड़ा भय समा गया

Transliteration

tataḥ sūto 'jahāt prāṇān rāma-bāṇa-prapīḍitaḥ | muhūrtād iva rājendra māṃ ca bhīr āviśat tadā ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Then my charioteer, grievously tormented by the arrows of Rama (Parashurama), gave up his life. And, O king, in that very moment—almost in an instant—fear entered my heart as well.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tataḥ', 'definition': 'then

• thereafter'}, {'term': 'sūtaḥ', 'definition': 'charioteer

• driver (also a court bard by class, but here ‘charioteer’)'}, {'term': 'ajahāt prāṇān', 'definition': 'abandoned life-breaths

• died'}, {'term': 'rāma-bāṇa', 'definition': 'Rama’s arrows (i.e., Parashurama’s arrows)'}, {'term': 'prapīḍitaḥ', 'definition': 'severely afflicted

• tormented'}, {'term': 'muhūrtāt iva', 'definition': 'as if within a moment

• almost instantly'}, {'term': 'rājendra', 'definition': 'O best of kings (address to the listener, typically Dhritarashtra)'}, {'term': 'mām', 'definition': 'me'}, {'term': 'bhīḥ', 'definition': 'fear

• dread'}, {'term': 'āviśat', 'definition': 'entered

• took hold of'}, {'term': 'tadā', 'definition': 'then

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Rama (Parashurama)
• Suta (Bhishma’s charioteer)
• King (rājendra—addressee, traditionally Dhritarashtra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the greatest warriors are not immune to fear when confronted with overwhelming force and sudden loss. The verse underscores the human cost of combat—innocents like charioteers perish—and hints at the ethical weight borne by those who choose or are bound to fight.

What is happening in the narrative?

During Bhishma’s encounter with Parashurama, Bhishma’s charioteer is struck and fatally afflicted by Parashurama’s arrows. The charioteer dies, and Bhishma admits that fear seized him at that moment.