Shloka 88

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त: सहस्राक्षो भगवान्‌ पाकशासन:

Transliteration

evam uktaḥ sahasrākṣo bhagavān pākāśāsanaḥ

Translation

एवमुक्तः सहस्राक्षो भगवान् पाकशासनः प्रत्युवाच यथोचितं धर्मसंरक्षणे देवाधिकारानुरूपम्।

Word by Word

एवम्thus

उक्तःhaving been spoken to / addressed

सहस्राक्षःthe thousand-eyed one (Indra)

भगवान्the blessed/lordly one

पाकशासनःthe chastiser of Pāka (Indra)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Indra

Pāka

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 functions as a narrative hinge: when a righteous or significant question is put forward, a higher authority (here Indra) is portrayed as responding in alignment with dharma, underscoring that ethical order is upheld through accountable speech and principled reply.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma marks a transition: someone has spoken to Indra, and now Indra—identified by epithets highlighting his power and vigilance—is about to answer, moving the discourse forward within the Shānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance.