Shloka 94
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
यस्तु वक्ता द्वयोरर्थमविरुद्ध प्रभाषते । श्रोतुश्चैवात्मनश्वैव स वक्ता नेतरो नृप,परंतु नरेश्वर! जो वक्ता अपने और श्रोता दोनोंके लिये अनुकूल विषय ही बोलता है, वही वास्तवमें वक्ता है, दूसरा नहीं
yastu vaktā dvayor artham aviruddhaḥ prabhāṣate | śrotuś caivātmanaś caiva sa vaktā netaro nṛpa ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—হে নৃপ! যে বক্তা শ্রোতা ও নিজের—উভয়ের কল্যাণের সঙ্গে বিরোধহীন অর্থই প্রকাশ করে, সেই-ই প্রকৃত বক্তা; অন্যজন নয়।
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person deserves the title of “speaker” only when his words serve a non-conflicting good for both the listener and himself—speech should be truthful and beneficial, not merely clever, harsh, or self-serving.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma lays down standards of ethical counsel: he defines what qualifies someone as a genuine adviser/speaker—one whose speech promotes mutual welfare without contradiction or harm.