Shloka 21
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
दुर्बलं बलवन्तं च प्राज्ञ शूरं जडं कविम्
durbalaṁ balavantaṁ ca prājña śūraṁ jaḍaṁ kavim
قال بهيشما: «(ينبغي أن يُميَّز على وجه الصواب) بين الضعيف والقوي، وبين الحكيم والبطل، وبين بليد الفهم والشاعر».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is discernment in ethical judgment: a ruler (or any decision-maker) must recognize different kinds of people—weak/strong, wise/heroic, dull/poetic—and respond appropriately, so that protection, reward, and responsibility are distributed according to merit and need in line with dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and statecraft after the war. This line occurs within that didactic setting, listing contrasting human types to emphasize careful evaluation in governance and moral decision-making.