Shloka 13

Devanagari script

भयेन महता<5<विष्टो हृदि शोकेन चाहत: । पाज्चालराजो दयितां मातरं वै शिखण्डिन:,पांचालराजके हृदयमें बड़ा भारी भय समा गया था। वे शोकसे पीड़ित थे। अतः उन्होंने अपनी प्यारी पत्नी शिखण्डीकी मातासे इस प्रकार कहा--

Transliteration

bhayena mahatāviṣṭo hṛdi śokena cāhataḥ | pāñcālarājo dayitāṃ mātaraṃ vai śikhaṇḍinaḥ ||

Translation

हृदयात महान भयाने व्यापलेला आणि शोकाने आहत झालेला पाञ्चालराजा शिखंडीची जननी असलेल्या आपल्या प्रिय पत्नीला असे म्हणाला.

Word by Word

भयेनby/with fear

महताgreat

आविष्टःentered/possessed/overcome

हृदिin (his) heart

शोकेनby grief

चand

आहतःstruck/afflicted

पाञ्चालराजःthe king of the Panchalas

दयिताम्beloved (woman), dear one

मातरम्mother

वैindeed

शिखण्डिनःof Shikhandin

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Pāñcālarāja (King of Pāñcāla)

Śikhaṇḍin

Śikhaṇḍin's mother (the king's wife)

Pāñcāla

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 verse highlights how powerful emotions—fear and grief—can dominate a ruler’s mind and precipitate consequential choices. Ethically, it cautions that decisions about duty, family, and political action should not be driven primarily by panic or sorrow, since such states can cloud discernment (viveka) and lead to long-term repercussions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma narrates that the king of Pāñcāla, overwhelmed by fear and afflicted by grief, turns to his beloved wife, who is identified as Śikhaṇḍin’s mother. This sets up the ensuing dialogue and actions connected with Śikhaṇḍin’s situation and its later significance in the Kurukṣetra conflict.