Shloka 16
Adhyāya 57: Tapas–Dāna Phala
On the Fruits of Austerity and Giving
त॑ दृष्टवात्यद्भुतं राजा मनसाचिन्तयत् तदा । स्वप्लोडयं चित्तविभ्रंश उताहो सत्यमेव तु
taṁ dṛṣṭvā atyadbhutaṁ rājā manasā cintayat tadā | svapno ’yaṁ cittavibhrāṁśa utāho satyam eva tu ||
Als der König jenes überaus wunderbare Schauspiel erblickte, dachte er bei sich: „O weh! Ist dies ein Traum, oder ist mein Geist in Verwirrung geraten — oder ist all dies wahrhaft wirklich?“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights epistemic humility: when confronted with the extraordinary, one should examine whether one’s perception is reliable—distinguishing dream, mental confusion, and objective reality—before forming judgments or acting.
Bhishma narrates that a king witnesses an astonishing phenomenon and, struck with amazement, internally debates whether it is a dream, a disturbance of mind, or an actual event.