Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कदाचित् प्रातरुत्थाय पिस्पक्षु:ः सलिल॑ं शुचि । ध्रुवद्वारभवां गड्ां जगामावततार च,एक दिन वे प्रात:काल उठकर पवित्र जलमें स्नान करनेकी इच्छासे ध्रुवद्वारसे प्रवाहित हुई गंगाजीके तटपर गये और उसके भीतर उतरे

Transliteration

kadācit prātar utthāya pipakṣuḥ salilaṁ śuci | dhruvadvārabhavāṁ gaṅgāṁ jagāmāvatatāra ca ||

Translation

Dijo Bhīṣma: En cierta ocasión, al levantarse de madrugada, deseó bañarse en agua pura. Fue a la ribera del Gaṅgā, que fluye desde Dhruvadvāra, y descendió a sus aguas para bañarse: un acto de purificación y disciplina propio de una vida ordenada conforme al dharma.

Word by Word

कदाचित्once, at some time

प्रातर्in the morning

उत्थायhaving risen

पिपासुःdesirous (eager)

सलिलम्water

शुचिpure

ध्रुवद्वारभवाम्arising from Dhruva-dvāra

गङ्गाम्the Ganga (river)

जगामwent

अवततारdescended, entered (into it)

चand

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Gaṅgā

Dhruvadvāra

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 dharmic discipline through morning rising and ritual purification—outer cleanliness serving as a support for inner restraint and right conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

A person (as recounted by Bhīṣma) rises at dawn, goes to the Gaṅgā said to flow from Dhruvadvāra, and enters the river to bathe.