तस्मिन् नृपतिशार्दूले निहते भूरिवर्चसि ॥
भीष्मः शांतनवो राजन् प्रेतकार्याण्य् अकारयत् ॥
विचित्रवीर्यं च तदा बालम् अप्राप्तयौवनम् ॥
कुरुराज्ये महाबाहुर् अभ्यषिञ्चद् अनन्तरम् ॥
विचित्रवीर्यस् तु तदा भीष्मस्य वचने स्थितः ॥
अन्वशासन् महाराज पितृपैतामहं पदम् ॥
स धर्मशास्त्रकुशलो भीष्मं शांतनवं नृपः ॥
पूजयाम् आस धर्मेण स चैनं प्रत्यपालयत् ॥
tasmin nṛpatiśārdūle nihate bhūrivarcasi ||
bhīṣmaḥ śāṃtanavo rājan pretakāryāṇy akārayat ||
vicitravīryaṃ ca tadā bālam aprāptayauvanam ||
kururājye mahābāhur abhyaṣiñcad anantaram ||
vicitravīryas tu tadā bhīṣmasya vacane sthitaḥ ||
anvaśāsan mahārāja pitṛpaitāmahaṃ padam ||
sa dharmaśāstrakuśalo bhīṣmaṃ śāṃtanavaṃ nṛpaḥ ||
pūjayām āsa dharmeṇa sa cainaṃ pratyapālayat ||
'When that tiger among kings, of great splendor, had been slain, Bhishma, son of Shantanu, O king, performed the funeral rites. And Vichitravirya, then still a child who had not reached youth, the mighty-armed Bhishma anointed to the kingdom of the Kurus immediately after. And Vichitravirya then, abiding by the word of Bhishma, ruled, O great king, over the estate of his father and grandfather. That king, skilled in the dharma-shastras, honored Bhishma, son of Shantanu, in accordance with dharma; and he, in turn, protected him.'
8f683f003ead · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Bhishma, having buried Chitrangada, sets the young Vichitravirya on the throne and protects him. It is telling that Bhishma fulfills the duty of guardian of the line again and again: he performs the funeral rites for the elder brother, anoints the younger, rules in the child's stead — and all this without claiming power, faithful to his vow. Here is an image of selfless service: one who renounced throne and offspring becomes the mainstay of the whole line, a father to the orphaned — and in this service attains a greatness greater than any kingdom could have given. The reciprocity is also telling: the young king 'honors Bhishma in accordance with dharma,' and Bhishma 'protects him.' Here is an image of harmonious order, where the younger honors the elder and the elder guards the younger — such is the balance of family and society, resting on mutual duty and love. And in Vichitravirya's very humility, ruling while 'abiding by the word of Bhishma,' one sees the pledge of prosperity: a king who heeds a wise counselor rules for the good. Thus the scripture shows that the true support of a family line is not the power of the throne but faithfulness to dharma and mutual reverence, and that a selfless servant is worth more than the sovereign himself.