Shloka 143

Devanagari script

तालवृन्तान्युपादाय पर्यवीजन्त सर्वश: । माद्रीकुमार नकुल और सहदेवने पगड़ी हाथमें लेकर भीष्मजीके मस्तकपर रखी। कौरवराजके रनिवासकी स्ट्रियाँ ताड़के पंखे हाथमें लेकर कुरुकुलधुरन्धर भीष्मजीके शवको सब ओरसे हवा करने लगीं

Transliteration

tālavṛntāny upādāya paryavījanta sarvaśaḥ | mādrīkumarau nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca pāgṛīṃ hastam ādāya bhīṣmasya mastake nyadhāpayatām | kauravarājasya ranivāsastriyaḥ tālapattravījān hastagṛhītāḥ kurukuladhurandharaṃ bhīṣmaṃ śavaṃ sarvato vāyum akarot ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：他们拿起棕榈叶扇，从四面八方轻轻扇拂。摩德丽之子那俱罗与萨诃提婆手捧头巾，将其置于毗湿摩头上。俱卢王内宫的妇人们亦执棕榈叶扇，从各处柔和送风于毗湿摩之身——纵在死后，仍以礼敬奉这位俱卢族系的伟大擎柱。此景彰显达摩之责：敬重长者与阵亡者，使尊敬之道超越战场的暴烈而延续不绝。

Word by Word

• तालवृन्तानि: palm-leaf fans
• तालवृन्तानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तालवृन्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• उपादाय: having taken
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आ-दा
• Form: Ktva (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for ktvā)

• पर्यवीजन्त: they fanned
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-आ-वीज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सर्वशः: on all sides / in every way
• सर्वशः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhīṣma
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Mādrī
• Kaurava king (Kuru ruler)
• women of the royal inner apartments (ranivāsa-striyaḥ)
• palm-leaf fans (tālavṛnta)
• turban (pāgṛī)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after conflict, dharma requires honoring elders and the fallen with dignity. The respectful acts—covering the head and fanning the body—express gratitude and reverence toward Bhīṣma as a guardian of the Kuru line, showing that ethical conduct continues beyond victory or defeat.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Bhīṣma’s passing, attendants and royal women fan his body with palm-leaf fans. Nakula and Sahadeva, the sons of Mādrī, place a turban on Bhīṣma’s head as an honorific gesture, treating him as a revered elder and dynastic pillar.