Shloka 54

Devanagari script

परिखा खन्‍्यतामत्र ममावसदने नृपा: । उपासिष्ये विवस्वन्तमेवं शरशताचित:

Transliteration

parikhā khanyatām atra mamāvasadane nṛpāḥ | upāsiṣye vivasvantam evaṁ śaraśatācitaḥ ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：“诸王啊，就在此处、我所卧之地四周掘一道壕沟。我将仍留在这里，以被数百支箭矢贯穿、堆叠其上的身躯，礼敬毗婆斯瓦特——日神。”

Word by Word

• परिखा: a trench, ditch
• परिखा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिखा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• खन्यताम्: let (it) be dug
• खन्यताम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: खन्
• Form: Imperative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular, Passive

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• आवसदने: in (my) dwelling/place of stay
• आवसदने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आवसदन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नृपाः: O kings
• नृपाः: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Plural

• उपासिष्ये: I shall worship/attend upon
• उपासिष्ये: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आस्
• Form: Simple Future (Lṛṭ), First, Singular, Ātmanepada

• विवस्वन्तम्: Vivasvat (the Sun)
• विवस्वन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवस्वन्त्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• एवम्: Prakara
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• शरशताचितः: covered/filled with hundreds of arrows
• शरशताचितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शर-शत-आचित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• nṛpāḥ (kings)
• Vivasvat (Sun-god)
• parikhā (trench)
• śara (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid extreme pain and the chaos of war, one can uphold inner discipline and redirect suffering into purposeful devotion; steadfastness (dhṛti) and reverence for the divine become a form of ethical strength rather than mere endurance.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Bhishma has fallen and lies immobilized, pierced by many arrows, instructions are given to dig a protective trench around his resting place; he declares his intention to remain there and worship the Sun (Vivasvat) despite his condition.