Shloka 14

अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च

Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations

Devanagari script

रुधिरार्द्रो च धर्मज् चीरवल्कलवासिनी । साभिनिष्क्रम्य राजेन्द्र तादूगूपा भयावहा

Transliteration

rudhirārdrā ca dharmajña cīravalkaḷavāsinī | sābhinīṣkramya rājendra tādṛgūpā bhayāvahā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô seigneur des rois ! Elle, ruisselante de sang et pourtant capable de discerner le dharma, vêtue d’écorce et de haillons, s’avança ; et sous cette forme même elle apparut terrifiante, jetant l’effroi sur tous ceux qui la voyaient.»

Word by Word

रुधिरार्द्रःwet with blood, blood-soaked

चand

धर्मजःson of Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira)

चीरवल्कलवासिनीdwelling/wearing bark-garments and rags (ascetic-clad woman)

साभिनिष्क्रम्यhaving come out / having gone forth

राजेन्द्रO king of kings

तादृगूपाof such a form/appearance

भयावहाbringing fear, fearsome

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

rājendra (addressed king)

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 juxtaposes outward horror (blood-soaked, fearsome appearance) with inner moral clarity (dharmajña). It suggests that ethical authority and dharma can reside even in forms that appear frightening or socially marginal, and that kings should judge by righteousness rather than mere appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a woman emerging before the king, clad in ascetic bark-garments and rags, drenched in blood. Her sudden appearance and dreadful form create fear, setting a tense moral and narrative atmosphere for what follows.