Shloka 45

Devanagari script

विमलस्तीक्ष्णधारक्ष॒ कालान्तक इवोद्यत:ः । तत्पश्चात्‌ वह भूत उस रूपको त्यागकर तीस अद्भुलसे कुछ बड़े खड़्गके रूपमें प्रकाशित होने लगा। उसकी धार बड़ी तीखी थी। वह चमचमाता हुआ खड्ग काल और अन्तकके समान उद्यत प्रतीत होता था ।। ४४ $ ।। ततः स शितिकण्ठाय रुद्रायार्षभकेतवे

Transliteration

vimalas tīkṣṇa-dhārakṣaḥ kālāntaka ivodyataḥ | tat-paścāt sa bhūtaḥ tad-rūpaṃ tyaktvā triṃśad-aṅgulasaṃmitasya mahataḥ khaḍgasya rūpeṇa prakāśitum ārabdhaḥ | tasya dhārā tīvra-tīkṣṇā āsīt | sa dīpyamānaḥ khaḍgaḥ kālaś cāntakaś ca yathā udvṛttaḥ tathā pratibhāti ||

Translation

Bhishma dijo: «Después, abandonando aquella forma, el ser se manifestó como una gran espada, de unos treinta anchos de dedo. Su filo era extremadamente agudo y resplandecía; al alzarse, parecía la Muerte y el mismo Fin.»

Word by Word

विमलःpure, spotless

तीक्ष्णsharp

धाराedge, blade

कालान्तकःthe destroyer at the end of time (Death)

इवlike, as if

उद्यतःraised, uplifted, ready (to strike)

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe/that (one)

शितिकण्ठायto the blue-throated one (Śiva)

रुद्रायto Rudra

ऋषभकेतवेto him whose banner is the bull (Śiva)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

khaḍga (sword)

Kāla (Time/Death)

Antaka (Death/Ender)

bhūta (a being/spirit)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses the image of a blazing, death-like sword to evoke kāla (time/death) as an unstoppable force, reminding the listener that violence and power carry inevitable consequences and should be approached with restraint under dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

A mysterious being abandons its previous form and manifests as a large, brilliantly shining sword with an extremely sharp edge, appearing as terrifying as Death itself when raised to strike.