Shloka 5

Devanagari script

चिरं स चिन्तयत्यर्थश्रिरं जाग्रच्चिरं स्वपन्‌ । चिरं कार्याभिपत्तिं च चिरकारी तथोच्यते,वह सभी विषयोंपर बहुत देरतक विचार करता था, चिरकालतक जागता था और चिरकालतक सोता था तथा चिर-विलम्बके बाद ही कार्य पूर्ण करता था; इसलिये सब लोग उसे चिरकारी कहने लगे

Transliteration

ciraṃ sa cintayaty arthaśrīraṃ jāgrac ciraṃ svapan | ciraṃ kāryābhipattiṃ ca cirakārī tathocyate ||

Translation

चिरं स चिन्तयत्यर्थं चिरं जाग्रच्चिरं स्वपन् । चिरं कार्याभिपत्तिं च चिरकारी तथोच्यते ॥

Word by Word

चिरम्for a long time

सःhe

चिन्तयतिthinks/reflects

अर्थशिरम्the head/essence of a matter (main point of the purpose)

चिरम्for a long time

जाग्रत्being awake, waking

चिरम्for a long time

स्वपन्sleeping

चिरम्for a long time

कार्याभिपत्तिम्accomplishment/attainment of the task

चand

चिरकारीone who acts after a long time; slow-acting

तथाthus/so

उच्यतेis called

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse characterizes a person whose habitual slowness—extended thinking, wakefulness, sleep, and delayed completion of tasks—becomes a defining ethical trait, illustrating how repeated conduct turns into reputation and name.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes someone known for long delays in thought and action; because he completes work only after much time, people give him the epithet ‘Cirakārī’ (“late-acting”).