Shloka 42

Devanagari script

निषसादासने पुण्ये तमेवार्थ विचिन्तयन्‌ । पूर्वरात्रे तु तत्रासौ भूत्वा ध्यानपरायण:

Transliteration

niṣasādāsane puṇye tamevārthaṃ vicintayan | pūrvarātre tu tatrāsau bhūtvā dhyānaparāyaṇaḥ ||

Translation

เขานั่งลงบนอาสนะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ใคร่ครวญถึงจุดหมายอันนั้นเอง และในยามต้นแห่งราตรี ณ ที่นั้นเขาดำรงอยู่โดยมุ่งมั่นในสมาธิ

Word by Word

निषसादsat down

आसनेon the seat

पुण्येholy, auspicious

तम्that (matter/thing)

एवindeed, just

अर्थम्meaning, matter, purpose

विचिन्तयन्pondering, reflecting

पूर्वरात्रेin the first part of the night

तुbut, and

तत्रthere

असौhe

भूत्वाhaving become, having been

ध्यानपरायणःdevoted to meditation

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical clarity is grounded in inner discipline: one should withdraw to an auspicious, orderly setting and contemplate the true aim (artha) with sustained meditation, especially in the quiet of night, before acting or teaching.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a figure who takes a sacred seat and spends the early night in focused contemplation, indicating a deliberate preparation—through reflection and meditation—for the instruction or decision that follows in the discourse.