Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि पुरावृत्तं जनाधिप । वासुदेवस्य संवाद पृथिव्याश्वैव भारत,भीष्मजीने कहा--नरेश्वर! भरतनन्दन! इस विषयमें भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्ण और पृथ्वीका संवादरूप एक प्राचीन वृत्तान्त बता रहा हूँ

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣyāmi purāvṛttaṁ janādhipa | vāsudevasya saṁvādaṁ pṛthivyāś caiva bhārata ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า—โอ้เจ้าแห่งมนุษย์ โอ้ภารตะ ในเรื่องนี้เราจักเล่าเรื่องโบราณให้ท่านฟัง คือบทสนทนาระหว่างวาสุเทวะ (พระศรีกฤษณะ) กับพระแม่ธรณี

Word by Word

• {'atra': 'here

• in this matter/context', 'te': 'to you', 'vartayiṣyāmi': 'I shall relate

• I shall narrate', 'purāvṛttam': 'ancient account

• old episode/tradition', 'janādhipa': 'lord of people

• king', 'vāsudevasya': 'of Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)', 'saṁvādam': 'dialogue

• conversation', 'pṛthivyāḥ': 'of the Earth (Pṛthivī)', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• and also', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Janādhipa (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira as Bharata-descendant)
• Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse signals that Bhishma will ground his instruction in a revered ancient dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and the Earth, implying that dharma and ethical governance are aligned with both divine wisdom and the welfare of the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a new illustrative episode: he tells the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) that he will narrate an old account, specifically a conversation between Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) and Pṛthivī (Earth), as a preface to the forthcoming counsel.