Shloka 2
भीष्म–रामयुद्धवर्णनम्
Bhīṣma’s Account of the Strategic Engagement with Rāma Jāmadagnya
नक्तंचराणां भूतानां राजन्यानां विशाम्पते | शयन प्राप्य रहिते मनसा समचिन्तयम्,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर मैं रातके समय एकान्तमें शय्यापर जाकर ब्राह्मणों, पितरों, देवताओं, निशाचरों, भूतों तथा राजर्षिगणोंको मस्तक झुकाकर प्रणाम करनेके पश्चात् मन-ही-मन इस प्रकार चिन्ता करने लगा
naktaṃcarāṇāṃ bhūtānāṃ rājanyānāṃ viśāmpate | śayanaṃ prāpya rahite manasā samacintayam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai tuan bagi sekalian rakyat, selepas itu, pada waktu malam, setelah sampai ke pembaringan yang terpencil, aku merenung dalam fikiran—setelah terlebih dahulu menundukkan kepala dengan hormat kepada para Brahmana, Pitṛ, para dewa, makhluk yang berkeliaran pada malam hari, para roh, dan para raja-ṛṣi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Before forming counsel or judgment, one should cultivate humility and inner clarity—symbolized here by reverence to spiritual authorities (brahmins), ancestors, gods, and even feared or marginal beings—then engage in calm, solitary reflection.
Bhishma describes a moment after some preceding event: at night he withdraws to a secluded resting place and begins to deliberate mentally, having first offered respectful salutations to various orders of beings, setting the stage for the advice or conclusion he is about to present.