Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स्त्रीत्वं तस्यप स्मरन्‌ राजन्‌ सर्वलोकस्य पश्यत: । नाजघान रणे भीष्म: स च तन्नावबुद्धवान्‌

Transliteration

strītvam tasya sma ran rājan sarvalokasya paśyataḥ | nājaghāna raṇe bhīṣmaḥ sa ca tan nāvabuddhavān rājan |

Translation

स्त्रीत्वं तस्य स्मरन् राजन् सर्वलोकस्य पश्यतः । नाजघान रणे भीष्मः स च तन्नावबुद्धवान् ॥

Word by Word

• स्त्रीत्वम्: womanhood, femininity
• स्त्रीत्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्रीत्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of him/that (person)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अपि: even, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• स्मरन्: remembering
• स्मरन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सर्वलोकस्य: of all the people/world
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वलोक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पश्यतः: while (they) were seeing; in the presence of (one) seeing
• पश्यतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्यत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

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

• अजघान: struck, slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha/लिट्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तत्: that (fact)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• अवबुद्धवान्: understood, realized
• अवबुद्धवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अवबुध्
• Form: क्तवतु (past active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Bhīṣma
• Śikhaṇḍin

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights restraint as a form of dharma: even in war, Bhīṣma upholds a moral boundary by refusing to strike one he regards as a woman, showing that ethical commitments can limit violence even amid battlefield duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, recalling Śikhaṇḍin’s female identity, does not attack him while everyone watches; Śikhaṇḍin, however, fails to grasp why Bhīṣma is holding back.