Shloka 8

Adhyāya 70: Sātyaki’s Arrow-Display and the Bhūriśravas Engagement; Twilight Withdrawal

Devanagari script

एष धर्मक्न धर्मज्ञो वरद: सर्वकामद: । एष कर्ता च कार्य च पूर्वदेव: स्वयम्प्रभु:,ये धर्मज्ञ, वरदाता, सम्पूर्ण कामनाओंको देनेवाले तथा धर्मस्वरूप हैं। ये ही कर्ता, कार्य, आदिदेव तथा स्वयं सर्वसमर्थ हैं

Transliteration

eṣa dharmakṛd dharmajño varadaḥ sarvakāmadāḥ | eṣa kartā ca kāryaṃ ca pūrvadevaḥ svayamprabhuḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Siya ang tagapagtindig ng dharma at ang nakaaalam ng dharma, ang tagapagkaloob ng biyaya at tumutupad sa lahat ng makatarungang hangarin. Siya ang gumagawa at ang mismong gawa—ang sinaunang Diyos, sariling nagliliwanag at naghahari.”

Word by Word

एषःthis (one)

धर्मःdharma; righteousness

चand

धर्मज्ञःknower of dharma

वरदःgiver of boons

सर्वकामदःgiver of all desires (all wished-for things)

एषःthis (one)

कर्ताdoer; agent; creator

चand

कार्यःthat which is to be done; effect; work

चand

पूर्वदेवःthe primeval god; first deity

स्वयम्प्रभुःself-luminous; self-sovereign

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

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 teaches that the highest authority behind righteous conduct is a supreme, self-sufficient divine principle who both knows and establishes dharma, and who also governs outcomes—linking ethical duty with reverence for the ultimate source of order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing “He” (a revered divine figure in context) using exalted epithets—upholder of dharma, boon-giver, fulfiller of desires, and the primordial lord—thereby framing the surrounding discourse in terms of divine sovereignty and moral order amid the war setting.