Shloka 11

मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः

Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities

Devanagari script

भीष्मस्तेषां कथा: श्रुत्वा ऋषीणां भावितात्मनाम्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣmas teṣāṁ kathāḥ śrutvā ṛṣīṇāṁ bhāvitātmanām

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Ayant entendu les récits rapportés par ces sages—des hommes à l’esprit discipliné et purifié—Bhīṣma s’en pénétra, recevant leurs paroles comme une direction de grand poids pour la conduite juste.

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• कथाः: stories, accounts
• कथाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• भावितात्मनाम्: of those whose selves are disciplined/controlled
• भावितात्मनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भावितात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Vaiśampāyana
• Ṛṣis (sages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the authority of spiritually disciplined sages and implies that ethical understanding is strengthened by attentive listening to their narratives, which function as vehicles for dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīṣma listens to the accounts told by self-controlled ṛṣis; this sets up Bhīṣma’s reception and transmission of dharma-oriented instruction.