Shloka 1
भीष्म–रामयुद्धवर्णनम्
Bhīṣma’s Account of the Strategic Engagement with Rāma Jāmadagnya
अकाल त्र्यशीर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: भीष्मको अष्टवसुओंसे प्रस्वापनास्त्रकी प्राप्ति भीष्म उवाच ततोऊहं निशि राजेन्द्र प्रणम्य शिरसा तदा । ब्राह्मणानां पितृणां च देवतानां च सर्वश:
bhīṣma uvāca | tato'haṃ niśi rājendra praṇamya śirasā tadā | brāhmaṇānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ ca devatānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ |
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, ensuite, dans le silence de la nuit, j’inclinai la tête avec révérence—offrant mes salutations de toutes les manières aux brahmanes, aux Pitṛ (esprits des ancêtres) et aux dieux. Après avoir ainsi rendu hommage, je me tournai vers l’intérieur, méditant sur ce qu’il convenait de faire.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic orientation before action: one begins deliberation by honoring sources of sacred authority—Brahmanas (Vedic wisdom), Pitrs (lineage and obligation), and Devatas (cosmic order)—so that one’s decisions arise from humility and responsibility rather than impulse.
Bhishma describes a nighttime moment of solitude in which he bows in reverence to revered beings and then turns to inward contemplation, setting the stage for the counsel or strategy that follows in the chapter.