Shloka 23

Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

ततस्ते मुनयो राजन्नूचीकप्रमुखास्तदा

Transliteration

tataste munayo rājann ūcīkapramukhās tadā

Translation

แล้วกษัตริย์เอ๋ย ครานั้นเหล่าฤๅษีซึ่งมีอุจีกะเป็นผู้นำก็กล่าวขึ้น

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable)

• ते: those (they)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, vocative, singular

• ऊचीक-प्रमुखाः: having Ucīka as foremost; led by Ucīka
• ऊचीक-प्रमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊचीक + प्रमुख
• Form: Masculine, nominative, plural

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• King (addressed as rājan)
• Sages (munayaḥ)
• Ucīka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the authority of ṛṣis in guiding kings: righteous governance is strengthened when a ruler listens to learned, ethically grounded counsel rather than impulse or factional pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma marks a transition: after some preceding events, a group of sages headed by Ucīka address the king, indicating that an important advisory speech or decision-point is about to unfold.