Shloka 1

Devanagari script

/ अपन का छा | अफड-एक्रा् पञ्चपज्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: भीष्मका युधिष्ठटिरके गुणकथनपूर्वक उनको प्रश्न करनेका आदेश देना, श्रीकृष्णका उनके लज्जित और भयभीत होनेका कारण बताना और भीष्मका आश्वासन पाकर युधिष्ठिरका उनके समीप जाना वैशम्पायन उवाच अथाब्रवीन्महातेजा वाक्‍्यं कौरवनन्दन: । हन्त धर्मान्‌ प्रवक्ष्यामि दृढे वाइमनसी मम

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | athābravīn mahātejā vākyam kauravanandanaḥ | hanta dharmān pravakṣyāmi dṛḍhe vā imanasi mama ||

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—అప్పుడు మహాతేజస్సుగల కౌరవనందనుడు ఈ వాక్యములు పలికెను: “హంత, ఇప్పుడు నేను ధర్మాలను ప్రవచించెదను; ఈ విషయంలో నా సంకల్పము దృఢమైనది.”

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

अथthen

अब्रवीत्spoke

महातेजाःthe great-splendored (one)

वाक्यम्speech; words

कौरवनन्दनःthe delight of the Kurus (Yudhiṣṭhira)

हन्तindeed; well then

धर्मान्duties; dharmas

प्रवक्ष्यामिI shall expound

दृढेin (a) firm (state)

वाor

अविमनसीin an unperplexed (state); without dejection

ममof me; my

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kauravanandana (epithet; contextually Bhīṣma)

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 signals the formal beginning of a dharma-exposition: the speaker declares a firm resolve to teach multiple dimensions of righteousness—duty, ethical conduct, and right governance—setting an authoritative, instructional tone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti-parvan frame, after the war, instruction is sought to restore moral order and clarity. The narrator introduces the moment when the revered Kuru elder (contextually Bhīṣma) begins speaking, announcing that he will now expound dharma with steadfast determination.