Shloka 2
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
भीष्म उवाच शृणु पार्थ यथावृत्तमितिहासं पुरातनम् । गृध्रजम्बुकसंवादं यो वृत्तो नैमिषे पुरा
bhīṣma uvāca: śṛṇu pārtha yathāvṛttam itihāsaṃ purātanam | gṛdhra-jambuka-saṃvādaṃ yo vṛtto naimiṣe purā ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—হে পার্থ! যেমন ঘটেছিল তেমনই প্রাচীন সত্য ইতিহাস শোনো। বহু আগে নৈমিষারণ্যে শকুন ও শৃগালের যে সংলাপ হয়েছিল, সেই পুরাতন কাহিনি শোনো।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the coming instruction as a yathāvṛtta itihāsa—an account ‘as it truly happened’—signaling that ethical guidance is to be drawn from a concrete example (a dialogue between animals) rather than abstract theory.
Bhishma addresses Arjuna and introduces an old episode set in Naimiṣa: a conversation between a vulture and a jackal. This verse functions as the opening invitation to hear that instructive dialogue.