Shloka 6

Devanagari script

यदा च मम रामेण युद्धमासीत्‌ सुदारुणम्‌ । वसुभिश्न तदा राजन्‌ कथेयं कथिता मम

Transliteration

yadā ca mama rāmeṇa yuddham āsīt sudāruṇam | vasubhiśna tadā rājan katheyaṃ kathitā mama ||

Translation

Và khi ta từng giao chiến một trận vô cùng khốc liệt với Rāma, tâu Đại vương, chính câu chuyện này đã được kể cho ta, gắn với các thần Vasu—nên nay ta thuật lại đúng như đã được truyền dạy.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

चand

ममof me / my

रामेणby/with Rama

युद्धम्battle

आसीत्was

सुदारुणम्very dreadful

वसुभिःby the Vasus

नnot

तदाthen

राजन्O king

कथाstory/account

इयम्this

कथिताtold/narrated

ममby me / of me

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Rāma (Paraśurāma)

Vasus

the King (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma frames his account as remembered testimony: ethical reflection on dharma in conflict is grounded in truthful narration of past events, especially when great warriors and even divine beings (the Vasus) are involved.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma begins to recount the episode of his fierce battle with Rāma (Paraśurāma), telling the king that this same story had earlier been narrated in relation to the Vasus, and he now repeats it.