Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विनिश्चित्याथ च तदा विक्रोशन्तस्ततस्ततः । मृतमित्येव गच्छन्तो निराशास्तस्य दर्शने,वे इधर-उधर रो-गाकर इसी निश्चयपर पहुँचे कि अब तो यह बालक मर ही गया; अतः उसके दर्शनसे निराश हो वहाँसे जानेके लिये तैयार हो गये

Transliteration

viniścityātha ca tadā vikrośantastatastataḥ | mṛtamityeva gacchanto nirāśāstasya darśane ||

Translation

Kemudian mereka sampai pada keputusan yang pasti, sambil meratap berulang-ulang ke segala arah. Dengan keyakinan, “Ia sungguh telah mati,” mereka pun berangkat pergi, tanpa harapan lagi untuk melihatnya.

Word by Word

विनिश्चित्यhaving ascertained/decided

अथthen/thereupon

चand

तदाat that time

विक्रोशन्तःcrying out/lamenting

ततःfrom there/then

मृतम्dead

इतिthus (quotative)

एवindeed/just

गच्छन्तःgoing

निराशाःhopeless/despairing

तस्यof him/of that (boy)

दर्शनेin (his) sight/at (the possibility of) seeing

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

a child (bālaka, implied by context)

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 how grief and incomplete knowledge can harden into certainty (“he must be dead”), leading to despair and withdrawal—an ethical reminder to be cautious in judgment and steady in adversity.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group searches and laments loudly in many directions; failing to find the boy, they conclude he has died and, losing hope of seeing him, prepare to depart.