Shloka 19

Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā

Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative

Devanagari script

मुहूर्तमपि राजेन्द्र तिन्दुकालातवज्ज्वलेत्‌ । न तुषाग्निरिवानर्चिर्धूमायेत चिरं नर:

Transliteration

muhūrtam api rājendra tindukālātavac jvalet | na tuṣāgnir ivānarcir dhūmāyet ciraṃ naraḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：“大王啊，纵使只是一瞬，人也当如天杜迦木之炬般炽然腾起——在敌前显出凶猛的勇武。不可久如糠火，徒有烟而无焰——只露出怯弱的本领。”

Word by Word

• {'muhūrtam': 'a short time

• a moment (traditionally a fixed time-unit, here ‘briefly’)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'rājendra': 'O best of kings

• O king (vocative)', 'tinduka': 'the tinduka tree (Diospyros species)

• its wood used as fuel/torch', 'kāṣṭha': 'wood

• timber', 'vat': 'like

• as', 'jvalet': 'should blaze

• should burn brightly (optative, prescriptive)', 'na': 'not', 'tuṣa': 'chaff

• husk', 'agni': 'fire', 'iva': 'like

• as if', 'anarcis': 'without flame

• flameless (a- + arcis ‘flame’)', 'dhūmāyet': 'should smoke

• should emit smoke (optative)', 'ciram': 'for a long time', 'naraḥ': 'a man

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājendra (the king addressed, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti Parva context)
• tinduka-wood torch
• chaff-fire (tuṣāgni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma teaches that true prowess should be decisive and luminous: better to blaze with effective courage even briefly than to linger in weak, smoky effort that lacks real impact. The ethical point is to avoid prolonged half-measures and to act with clear, forceful resolve when duty demands.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on righteous conduct and statecraft. Here he uses two vivid images—tinduka-wood torch versus chaff-fire—to counsel how a man, especially a ruler/warrior, should manifest strength before enemies: with visible, effective power rather than ineffectual display.