Shloka 24

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय २: संजयस्य दिव्यदृष्टिप्रदानम् तथा निमित्तवर्णनम्

Granting Sañjaya Divine Sight and the Description of Omens

Devanagari script

स्वप्स्यन्ति निहता वीरा भूमिमावृत्य पार्थिवा: । राजानो राजतपूुत्रा श्च शूरा: परिघबाहव:

Transliteration

svapsyanti nihatā vīrā bhūmim āvṛtya pārthivāḥ | rājāno rāja-putrāś ca śūrāḥ parigha-bāhavaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Nhiều vị vua và hoàng tử anh hùng—những chiến sĩ dũng mãnh, cánh tay dày và rắn như chùy sắt—sẽ bị đánh gục. Thân xác họ phủ kín mặt đất, và họ sẽ nằm trên chiến địa như thể đang ngủ.”

Word by Word

• स्वप्स्यन्ति: will sleep
• स्वप्स्यन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), 3rd, plural, परस्मैपद

• निहताः: slain
• निहताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• वीराः: heroes/warriors
• वीराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• भूमिम्: the earth/ground
• भूमिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• आवृत्य: having covered
• आवृत्य: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√वृ (धातु) → आवृत्य (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप् (gerund)

• पार्थिवाः: kings/earth-lords
• पार्थिवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• राजपुत्राः: princes (sons of kings)
• राजपुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजपुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• शूराः: brave warriors
• शूराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• परिघबाहवः: having arms like iron bars/maces
• परिघबाहवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परिघबाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• kings (pārthivāḥ/rājānaḥ)
• princes (rāja-putrāḥ)
• earth/ground (bhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tragic outcome of war: even the strongest kings and princes end as lifeless bodies on the earth. It frames death as ‘sleep’ to stress both the inevitability of mortality and the ethical weight of choosing conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the impending carnage of the Kurukṣetra war: numerous heroic rulers and royal sons will be slain and will lie across the battlefield, so many that their bodies seem to cover the ground.