Shloka 26

Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command

Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa

Devanagari script

एतच्छुतं मया तात ऋषीणां भावितात्मनाम्‌ | वासुदेव॑ कथयतां समवाये पुरातनम्‌,तात! एक समय शुद्ध अन्तःकरणवाले महर्षियोंका एक समाज जुटा हुआ था, जिसमें वे पुरातन भगवान्‌ वासुदेवकी माहात्म्य-कथा कह रहे थे। उन्हींके मुँहसे मैंने ये सब बातें सुनी हैं

Transliteration

etac chrutaṃ mayā tāta ṛṣīṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām | vāsudevaṃ kathayatāṃ samavāye purātanam ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—കുഞ്ഞേ! ശുദ്ധവും നിയന്ത്രിതവുമായ മനസ്സുള്ള ഋഷിമാരുടെ അധരങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നാണ് ഞാൻ ഇത് കേട്ടത്. പുരാതനകാലത്ത് അത്തരം മഹർഷിമാർ ഒരു പുണ്യസഭയായി ഒന്നിച്ചുകൂടി, ഭഗവാൻ വാസുദേവന്റെ പുരാതന മഹിമകഥ പറയുമ്പോൾ, അവരിൽ നിന്നാണ് ഞാൻ ഈ കാര്യങ്ങൾ ശ്രവിച്ചത്.

Word by Word

• {'etat': 'this (teaching/account)', 'śrutam': 'heard

• received by oral tradition', 'mayā': 'by me', 'tāta': 'dear child

• affectionate address (to the listener)', 'ṛṣīṇām': 'of the seers/sages', 'bhāvitātmanām': 'of those with cultivated/purified selves

• self-controlled', 'vāsudevam': 'Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), the divine person being praised', 'kathayatām': 'of those narrating/reciting', 'samavāye': 'in an assembly

• in a gathering', 'purātanam': 'ancient

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)
• Ṛṣis (sages/seers)
• Samavāya (assembly/gathering)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse grounds the forthcoming account in a trustworthy lineage: teachings about Vāsudeva are presented as received through an ancient assembly of self-purified sages, emphasizing ethical authority, disciplined minds, and faithful transmission.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma tells his listener that what he is about to relate is not personal invention; he once heard it in a venerable gathering where great ṛṣis were narrating the ancient glory of Vāsudeva, and he is now repeating that received tradition.