Shloka 4

Viśvāmitra-janma: Ṛcīka–Satyavatī–Gādhi and the Charu Exchange (विश्वामित्र-जन्म: ऋचीक–सत्यवती–गाधि वृत्तान्तः)

Devanagari script

तस्यात्मजस्तुल्यगुण: सिन्धुद्वीपो महायशा: । सिन्धुद्वीपाच्च राजर्षिबलाकाश्वो महाबल:,जह्के पुत्रका नाम सिन्धुद्वीप था, जो पिताके समान ही गुणवान्‌ और महायशस्वी थे। सिन्धुद्वीपसे महाबली राजा बलाकाश्वका जन्म हुआ था इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि विश्वामित्रोपाख्याने चतुर्थोडध्याय:

Transliteration

tasya ātmajas tulyaguṇaḥ sindhudvīpo mahāyaśāḥ | sindhudvīpāc ca rājarṣir balākāśvo mahābalaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma dijo: «Su hijo fue Sindhudvīpa, de gran fama y dotado de virtudes iguales a las de su padre. De Sindhudvīpa nació el sabio real Balākāśva, un rey de inmensa fuerza.»

Word by Word

तस्यof him

आत्मजःson

तुल्यगुणःhaving equal virtues (to his father)

सिन्धुद्वीपःSindhudvīpa (name of a person)

महायशाःgreatly renowned

सिन्धुद्वीपात्from Sindhudvīpa

चand

राजर्षिःroyal sage

बलाकाश्वःBalākāśva (name of a king)

महाबलःvery strong, mighty

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Sindhudvīpa

Balākāśva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic ideal that true worth is measured by guṇa (virtue/qualities) and yaśas (earned renown), and that a righteous lineage is remembered through the exemplary conduct of descendants—hence the emphasis on a son being 'equal in qualities' and on the title 'rājarṣi' for a king who embodies ethical restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is reciting a lineage within the Viśvāmitra-upākhyāna context: he names Sindhudvīpa as the son of the previously mentioned figure, and then states that Balākāśva, a powerful royal sage, was born from Sindhudvīpa—continuing the genealogical chain.