Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

ततस्ते मुनयो राजन्नूचीकप्रमुखास्तदा

Transliteration

tataste munayo rājann ūcīkapramukhās tadā

Translation

Bấy giờ, tâu Đại vương, các bậc hiền triết—đứng đầu là Ucīka—đã lên tiếng vào lúc ấy.

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.