Shloka 14
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
पृष्टश्न तेन विप्रेण दृष्ट॑ त्वेतन्निदर्शनम् । प्राह विप्रं तदा विप्र: सुप्रीतेनान््तरात्मना
pṛṣṭaś ca tena vipreṇa dṛṣṭvā tv etan nidarśanam | prāha vipraṁ tadā vipraḥ suprītenāntarātmanā ||
قال بهيشما: ولما سأله ذلك البراهمن عمّا شاهده بوصفه مثالًا دالًّا، شرع البراهمن—وقد امتلأ باطنه سرورًا—يروي للبراهمن الآخر كل ما رآه هناك في سياق رحلته. ويجعل هذا المقطع الاستفهامَ المؤدّب والروايةَ الصادقة جزءًا من السلوك الدارمي.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic communication: a respectful question by a learned person is answered with a truthful, complete account, offered with a pure and pleased inner disposition—suggesting that ethical instruction is best transmitted through sincere inquiry and honest narration.
Bhishma frames a scene where one brahmin asks another about an illustrative experience he has seen; the second brahmin, inwardly delighted, begins to recount what he witnessed during his journey, setting up the ensuing teaching or story.