Shloka 33

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

ततः स कवची धन्‍्वी स्तूयमान: सुरभि: । वन्दिभिर्वन्द्यमानश्न बभौ सूर्य इवोदित:,तदनन्तर राजकुमार प्रतर्दनने अपने शरीरपर कवच धारण किया और हाथमें धनुष ले लिया। उस समय देवर्षिगण उसका यश गाने लगे। वन्दीजनोंसे वन्दित हो वह नवोदित सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित होने लगा

Transliteration

tataḥ sa kavacī dhanvī stūyamānaḥ surabhiḥ | vandibhir vandyamānaś ca babhau sūrya ivoditaḥ ||

Translation

ત્યારે તે રાજકુમાર કવચ ધારણ કરીને અને ધનુષ્ય લઈને, સ્તુતિ વચ્ચે આગળ વધ્યો. દેવર્ષિઓ તેના યશનું ગાન કરવા લાગ્યા અને વંદીજનો તેને વંદન કરવા લાગ્યા; તે નવોદિત સૂર્ય સમાન તેજસ્વી દેખાયો.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

कवचीarmored, wearing armor

धन्वीbow-bearing, archer

स्तूयमानःbeing praised

सुरभिःby the gods (surabhis/deities)

वन्दिभिःby bards/panegyrists

वन्द्यमानःbeing saluted/praised

बभौshone, appeared splendid

सूर्यःthe sun

इवlike, as if

उदितःrisen

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

a prince (rājakumāra; contextually Pratardana in the prose gloss)

armor (kavaca)

bow (dhanus)

divine sages (devarṣis, implied by context)

bards/panegyrists (vandins)

the sun (sūrya)

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 highlights the kṣatriya ideal: readiness for rightful action (symbolized by armor and bow) joined with public accountability and honor. Praise from sages and bards signifies that courage and duty, when aligned with dharma, become worthy of communal and even divine recognition.

What is happening in the narrative?

A prince arms himself—putting on armor and taking up his bow—while sages and bards praise and salute him. His radiance is compared to the newly risen sun, emphasizing his heroic presence at that moment.