Shloka 10
Aṣṭāvakra–Strī-saṃvāda: Dhṛti, hospitality, and a dispute on autonomy
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । अष्टावक्रस्य संवादं दिशया सह भारत,भीष्मजीने कहा--भरतनन्दन! इस विषयमें अष्टावक्र मुनिका उत्तर दिशाकी अधिष्ठात्रीदेवीके साथ जो संवाद हुआ था, उसी प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया जाता है
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | aṣṭāvakrasya saṃvādaṃ diśayā saha bhārata |
Bhīṣma sprach: „Auch hier, o Bharata, wird ein uraltes Beispiel angeführt: der Dialog des Weisen Aṣṭāvakra mit der Göttin, die die nördliche Himmelsrichtung beherrscht. Indem man diese alte Begebenheit in Erinnerung ruft, wird die Frage rechten Handelns durch ein maßgebliches Vorbild erhellt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That dharma is often clarified through authoritative precedents (itihāsa): Bhishma introduces an ancient dialogue as a model example to illuminate the ethical point under discussion.
Bhishma, addressing Yudhishthira as ‘Bharata,’ signals a transition: he is about to narrate an old story—Ashtavakra’s dialogue with the presiding deity of a direction (noted in the Gita Press Hindi gloss as the northern quarter)—to support his instruction.