Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अत अष्टपञ्चाशर्दाधिकत्रिशततमोब् ध्याय: नागराजके दर्शनके लिये ब्राह्मणकी तपस्या तथा नागराजके परिवारवालोंका भोजनके लिये ब्राह्मणसे आग्रह करना भीष्म उवाच अथ तेन नरश्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणेन तपस्विना । निराहारेण वसता दु:खितास्ते भुजड़मा:,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--नरश्रेष्ठ]!ी तदनन्तर गोमतीके तटपर रहता हुआ वह ब्राह्मण निराहार रहकर तपस्या करने लगा। उसके भोजन न करनेसे वहाँ रहनेवाले नागोंको बड़ा दुःख हुआ

Transliteration

Bhīṣma uvāca: atha tena naraśreṣṭha brāhmaṇena tapasvinā | nirāhāreṇa vasatā duḥkhitās te bhujaṅgamāḥ ||

Translation

ភីष្មបានមានព្រះបន្ទូលថា៖ បន្ទាប់មក ព្រាហ្មណ៍អ្នកតបស្យាដ៏ប្រសើរនោះ បានស្នាក់នៅទីនោះ បំពេញតបស្យាដោយមិនទទួលអាហារ។ ព្រោះគាត់មិនបរិភោគ អស់នាគដែលរស់នៅទីនោះ ក៏សោកស្តាយ និងទុក្ខយ៉ាងខ្លាំង—កើតមានភាពតានតឹងផ្នែកធម៌ រវាងព្រហ្មចារីវ្រតរបស់អ្នកបួស និងទុក្ខដែលវាបង្កឡើងដោយអចេតនា ដល់សត្វដទៃ។

Word by Word

अथthen

तेनby him / by that

नरश्रेष्ठO best of men

ब्राह्मणेनby the Brahmin

तपस्विनाby the ascetic

निराहारेणwithout food; fasting

वसताdwelling; while residing

दुःखिताःdistressed

तेthey

भुजङ्गमाःserpents

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

brāhmaṇa (ascetic)

bhujaṅgamāḥ / nāgāḥ (serpents)

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?

Austerity (tapas) is powerful, but dharma also considers the unintended suffering one’s practices may cause to other beings; ethical life requires balancing personal vows with compassion and the welfare of those affected.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma narrates that an ascetic Brahmin stays fasting in a place inhabited by serpents; his refusal to eat causes the resident nāgas to become distressed, setting up their later response and interaction with him.