Shloka 2
भीष्म–रामयुद्धवर्णनम्
Bhīṣma’s Account of the Strategic Engagement with Rāma Jāmadagnya
नक्तंचराणां भूतानां राजन्यानां विशाम्पते | शयन प्राप्य रहिते मनसा समचिन्तयम्
naktaṃcarāṇāṃ bhūtānāṃ rājanyānāṃ viśāmpate | śayanaṃ prāpya rahite manasā samacintayam ||
Bhishma said: “O lord of the people, after that, having reached a secluded bed at night, I reflected within my mind—having first bowed my head in reverence to the Brahmins, the Pitrs, the gods, the night-roaming beings, the spirits, and the royal sages.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before forming counsel or judgment, one should cultivate humility and inner clarity—symbolized here by reverence to spiritual authorities (brahmins), ancestors, gods, and even feared or marginal beings—then engage in calm, solitary reflection.
Bhishma describes a moment after some preceding event: at night he withdraws to a secluded resting place and begins to deliberate mentally, having first offered respectful salutations to various orders of beings, setting the stage for the advice or conclusion he is about to present.