Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अमोघा रात्रयक्षापि नित्यमायान्ति यान्ति च । यदाहमेतज्जानामि न मृत्युस्तिष्ठतीति ह । सो<हं कथं प्रतीक्षिष्ये जालेनापिहितश्चरन्‌,ये अमोघ रात्रियाँ नित्य आती हैं और चली जाती हैं। जब मैं इस बातको जानता हूँ कि मृत्यु क्षणभरके लिये भी रुक नहीं सकती और मैं उसके जालमें फँसकर ही विचर रहा हूँ, तब मैं थोड़ी देर भी प्रतीक्षा कैसे कर सकता हूँ?

Transliteration

amoghā rātrayaḥ kṣapāpi nityam āyānti yānti ca | yad aham etaj jānāmi na mṛtyus tiṣṭhatīti ha | so 'haṃ kathaṃ pratīkṣiṣye jālenāpihitaś caran |

Translation

یہ اٹل راتیں برابر آتی اور جاتی رہتی ہیں۔ جب میں یہ جانتا ہوں کہ موت ایک لمحہ بھی نہیں ٹھہرتی، اور میں تو پہلے ہی اس کے جال میں ڈھکا ہوا چل پھر رہا ہوں، تو میں ذرا سی دیر بھی کیسے انتظار کر سکتا ہوں؟

Word by Word

अमोघाःunfailing, unerring

रात्रयःnights

अपिalso, indeed

नित्यम्always, constantly

आयान्तिcome

यान्तिgo

चand

यत्since, because

अहम्I

एतत्this (fact)

जानामिI know

नnot

मृत्युःdeath

तिष्ठतिstands still, stops

इतिthus (quotative)

हindeed, surely

सःthat (one), he

अहम्I

कथम्how

प्रतीक्षिष्येshall I wait

जालेनby/with a net

अपिहितःcovered, enclosed

चरन्moving about, wandering

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Death (Mṛtyu)

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?

Time passes inexorably and death never pauses; therefore one should not postpone what is truly necessary—especially dharmic and spiritual effort. The verse urges urgency, wakefulness, and non-procrastination in the face of mortality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, reflects on the relentless passage of nights and the certainty of death. He uses the image of being already caught under Death’s net to justify why delay is unreasonable.