Shloka 40

Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command

Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa

Devanagari script

द्वापरस्य युगस्यान्ते आदौ कलियुगस्य च । सात्वतं विधिमास्थाय गीत: संकर्षणेन वै,(कृष्णेति नाम्ना विख्यात इमं लोकं स रक्षति ।) द्वापययुगके अन्त और कलियुगके आदिमें संकर्षणने श्रीकृष्णोपासनाकी विधिका आश्रय ले इन्हींकी महिमाका गान किया है। ये ही श्रीकृष्णनामसे विख्यात होकर इस लोककी रक्षा करते हैं

Transliteration

dvāparasya yugasyānte ādau kaliyugasya ca | sātvatam vidhim āsthāya gītaḥ saṅkarṣaṇena vai (kṛṣṇeti nāmnā vikhyāta imaṃ lokaṃ sa rakṣati) ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «Al término de la era Dvāpara y al comienzo de la era Kali, Saṅkarṣaṇa, acogiendo la disciplina sātvata (vaiṣṇava) del culto, cantó la gloria de Kṛṣṇa. Él—célebre con el nombre de “Kṛṣṇa”—protege este mundo.»

Word by Word

• {'dvāparasya yugasyānte': 'at the end of the Dvāpara yuga', 'ādau kaliyugasya': 'at the beginning of the Kali yuga', 'sātvatam vidhim': 'the Sātvata method/discipline

• Vaiṣṇava mode of worship and conduct', 'āsthāya': 'having resorted to

• taking refuge in', 'gītaḥ': 'sung

• praised (as in a hymn of glorification)', 'saṅkarṣaṇena': 'by Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma)', 'kṛṣṇeti nāmnā': 'by the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’', 'vikhyātaḥ': 'well-known

• famed', 'imam lokam': 'this world', 'rakṣati': 'protects

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma)
• Kṛṣṇa
• Dvāpara-yuga
• Kali-yuga
• Sātvata-vidhi

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames devotion to Kṛṣṇa—expressed through the Sātvata discipline and the singing of divine glory—as a sustaining force at times of moral decline (the transition into Kali). It presents Kṛṣṇa as the protector of the world, implying that dharmic stability is upheld through divine guardianship and faithful practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, speaking within the Bhīṣma Parva context, recalls a tradition: at the end of Dvāpara and the dawn of Kali, Saṅkarṣaṇa adopted the Sātvata mode of worship and praised Kṛṣṇa’s greatness. The statement underscores Kṛṣṇa’s fame and his role as the world’s protector.