Shloka 4
Tilā-Dāna, Dīpa-Dāna, and Nitya-Jalapradāna
Yama–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda) | तिलदान-दीपदान-नित्यजलप्रदान (यम-ब्राह्मण संवाद
तस्या: सम्पृच्छमानाया देवर्षिनरिदस्ततः । आचरष्ट विधिवत सर्व तच्छृणुष्व विशाम्पते
tasyāḥ sampṛcchamānāyā devarṣir naradas tataḥ | ācarat vidhivat sarvaṃ tac chṛṇuṣva viśāmpate prajānātha ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—হে প্রজাপতি! দেবকী এভাবে জিজ্ঞাসা করলে দেবর্ষি নারদ যথাবিধি সব কথা ব্যাখ্যা করলেন। সেই কথাই আমি তোমাকে বলছি—শোনো।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical instruction should be received and transmitted through reliable authority and in a disciplined, rule-governed manner (vidhivat). Bhīṣma emphasizes faithful preservation of what a sage has taught and urges the king to listen attentively as part of righteous governance.
Bhīṣma continues his discourse to the king by introducing a prior account: a woman had questioned the divine sage Nārada, who then explained the matter properly and completely. Bhīṣma now relays that same explanation to his royal listener.