Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततोअस्तं भास्करे याते संध्याकाल उपस्थिते । आजगाम स्वभवनं ब्रह्मलोकात्‌ खगोत्तम:,तदनन्तर, सूर्यके अस्ताचलको चले जानेके पश्चात्‌ संध्याकाल उपस्थित होनेपर ब्रह्मलोकसे वहाँ एक श्रेष्ठ पक्षी आया। वह वृक्ष ही उसका घर या वासस्थान था

Transliteration

tato 'staṃ bhāskare yāte sandhyākāla upasthite | ājagāma svabhavanaṃ brahmalokāt khagottamaḥ ||

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം സൂര്യൻ അസ്തമിച്ച് സന്ധ്യാകാലം വന്നപ്പോൾ, ബ്രഹ്മലോകത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഒരു ശ്രേഷ്ഠ പക്ഷി തന്റെ വാസസ്ഥാനത്തേക്ക് വന്നു. ആ വൃക്ഷം തന്നെയായിരുന്നു അതിന്റെ ഭവനവും വിശ്രമസ്ഥാനവും.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

अस्तम्to setting (to the west), into sunset

भास्करेwhen the sun (Bhāskara) (was)

यातेhaving gone (i.e., when it had gone)

सन्ध्याकालःthe twilight time

उपस्थितेhaving arrived / being present

आजगामcame, arrived

स्वभवनम्to (his) own dwelling

ब्रह्मलोकात्from Brahmaloka

खगोत्तमःthe best of birds

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Bhāskara (Sun)

Sandhyā (twilight time)

Brahmaloka

Khagottama (a foremost bird)

Tree (as dwelling)

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 underscores alignment with ṛta (cosmic order): as day turns to twilight, beings return to their proper abodes. It subtly affirms the ethical ideal of living in harmony with time, duty, and one’s appointed place.

What is happening in the narrative?

At sunset, when twilight begins, a distinguished bird arrives from Brahmaloka and comes to its own residence—identified as a tree—setting the scene for the continuation of Bhīṣma’s discourse.