Shloka 4

Guru’s Instruction on Dream, Mind, Guṇas, and Knowing Brahman

Svapna–Manas–Guṇa–Brahma-vicāra

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच पुराहं मृगयां यातो मार्कण्डेयाश्रमे स्थित: । तत्रापश्यं मुनिगणान्‌ समासीनान्‌ सहस्रश:,भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन्‌! पहलेकी बात है, मैं शिकार खेलनेके लिये वनमें गया और मार्कण्डेय मुनिके आश्रमपर ठहरा। वहाँ मैंने सहस्रों मुनियोंको बैठे देखा

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca purāhaṁ mṛgayāṁ yāto mārkaṇḍeyāśrame sthitaḥ | tatrāpaśyaṁ munigaṇān samāsīnān sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—હે રાજન! બહુ પહેલાં હું મૃગયા માટે વનમાં ગયો હતો અને મહર્ષિ માર્કંડેયના આશ્રમે રહ્યો. ત્યાં મેં સહસ્રો મુનિઓને એકત્ર આસનસ્થ જોયા.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

पुराformerly, once

अहम्I

मृगयाम्hunting, chase

यातःgone

मार्कण्डेय-आश्रमेin Markandeya's hermitage

स्थितःstayed, remained

तत्रthere

अपश्यम्I saw

मुनि-गणान्groups of sages

समासीनान्seated

सहस्रशःby thousands, in thousands

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (Yudhishthira)

Markandeya

Markandeya's hermitage (āśrama)

assemblies of sages (munigaṇa)

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 sets an ethical-narrative frame: a warrior-elder (Bhishma) recalls encountering a vast assembly of sages at a renowned hermitage, signaling that the forthcoming instruction is grounded in ascetic authority and dharma rather than mere royal power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a recollection addressed to the king: during a past hunting excursion he stayed at Markandeya’s hermitage and witnessed thousands of sages seated there, introducing the setting for the discourse that follows.