Shloka 1036

Devanagari script

देवदूतवच: श्रुत्वा वधे तस्य मनो दे | उस कटे हुए धनुषको फेंककर पितामह भीष्मने देवदूतके कथनपर ध्यान देकर तुरंत ही श्वेतके वधका निश्चय किया

Transliteration

devadūta-vacaḥ śrutvā vadhe tasya mano dadhe | utsṛjya chinnaṃ dhanuḥ śvetasya vadha-niścayaṃ pitāmaho bhīṣmaḥ kṛtavān ||

Translation

ദേവദൂതന്റെ വചനം കേട്ട ഭീഷ്മൻ ശ്വേതവധത്തിൽ മനസ്സുറപ്പിച്ചു. ഒടിഞ്ഞ വില്ല് ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച്, ആ ദിവ്യാജ്ഞയിൽ ശ്രദ്ധ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ച പിതാമഹൻ ഭീഷ്മൻ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ ശ്വേതനെ വധിക്കുമെന്ന് നിശ്ചയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

देवदूतवचःthe words/speech of the divine messenger

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

वधेin/with regard to the killing

तस्यof him/that

मनःmind, intention

ददेgave/placed (set his mind)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

भ

भीष्म (Bhīṣma)

द

देवदूत (divine messenger)

श

श्वेत (Śveta)

ध

धनुष् (bow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights steadfastness of will in a dharmic crisis: a warrior-leader, upon receiving what is presented as a higher (divine) directive, subordinates personal hesitation to duty and resolves to act decisively within the rules and necessities of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Bhīṣma hears a divine messenger’s words and, after his bow is cut/broken, throws it aside and immediately forms a firm determination to slay Śveta in the ongoing war episode.