Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कुरु: संवरणश्वैव मान्धाता सत्यविक्रम: । मुचुकुन्दश्न राजर्षिजह्लुर्जाह्नविसेवित:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | kuruḥ saṃvaraṇaś caiva māndhātā satyavikramaḥ | mucukundaś ca rājarṣiḥ jahnuḥ jāhnavī-sevitaḥ ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—(స్మరించవలసినవారు) కురు, అలాగే సంవరణుడు; సత్యవిక్రముడు మాంధాత; రాజర్షి ముచుకుందుడు; మరియు జాహ్నవి (గంగా) సేవించిన జహ్నువు.

Word by Word

• कुरुः: Kuru (king Kuru)
• कुरुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• संवरणः: Samvaraṇa
• संवरणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवरण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• मान्धाता: Māndhātā
• मान्धाता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मान्धातृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यविक्रमः: of true valor / truly valiant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यविक्रम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मुचुकुन्दः: Mucukunda
• मुचुकुन्दः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुचुकुन्द
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• राजर्षिः: royal sage
• राजर्षिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जह्लुः: Jahlu (a king/royal sage)
• जह्लुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जह्लु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जाह्नविसेवितः: served/attended by the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाह्नवी-सेवित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• Kuru
• Saṃvaraṇa
• Māndhātā (Māndhātṛ)
• Mucukunda
• Jahnu
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse promotes dharmic orientation through remembrance of exemplary rulers: recalling kings famed for truth, valor, and sage-like discipline is presented as a morally formative practice that inspires righteous conduct and reverence for dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma continues enumerating celebrated royal figures within a larger passage that extols the merit of reciting or remembering the names of virtuous kings; this segment names Kuru, Saṃvaraṇa, Māndhātā, Mucukunda, and Jahnu associated with the river Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā).