Shloka 9

प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence

Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue

Devanagari script

पुत्र बवाच मृत्युनाभ्याहतो लोको जरया परिवारित: । अहोरात्रा: पतन्त्येते ननु कस्मान्न बुध्यसे

Transliteration

putra uvāca mṛtyunābhyāhato loko jarayā parivāritaḥ | ahorātrāḥ patanty ete nanu kasmān na budhyase ||

Translation

ପୁତ୍ର କହିଲା—ପିତା, ଏହି ସମଗ୍ର ଲୋକ ମୃତ୍ୟୁଦ୍ୱାରା ଆହତ, ଜରାଦ୍ୱାରା ସମସ୍ତ ଦିଗରୁ ଘେରା। ଏହି ଦିନ-ରାତି ନିରନ୍ତର ପତିତ ହେଉଛି, ପ୍ରାଣୀମାନଙ୍କ ଆୟୁକୁ ଅପହରଣ କରି—ତଥାପି ଆପଣ କାହିଁକି ବୁଝୁନାହାନ୍ତି?

Word by Word

• पुत्रः: the son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मृत्युना: by death
• मृत्युना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अभ्याहतः: struck down, smitten
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-आ-हन्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोकः: the world
• लोकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जरया: by old age
• जरया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• परिवारितः: surrounded, encompassed
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-√वृ (वृञ्/वृ)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहोरात्राः: days and nights
• अहोरात्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पतन्ति: fall, pass away
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• एते: these
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ननु: indeed, surely (interrogative emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ननु

• कस्मात्: why? from what reason?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• बुध्यसे: you understand/awaken
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• putra (son)
• pitā (father)
• mṛtyu (Death)
• jarā (old age)
• loka (the world)
• ahorātra (day and night)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Awaken to impermanence: death and old age are inevitable, and time (days and nights) continuously diminishes life; therefore one should not live in heedlessness but turn toward right conduct and inner clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, a son admonishes his father, pointing to the visible facts of mortality—death, aging, and the relentless passage of time—to shake him out of complacency and prompt serious reflection on life’s purpose.