Shloka 3
Āpad-dharma and Discernment in Livelihood (आपद्धर्मे विज्ञानबलम्)
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । गौतमस्य च संवादं यमस्य च महात्मन:
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | gautamasya ca saṁvādaṁ yamasya ca mahātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Auch in dieser Angelegenheit des Dharma führen die Weisen ein uraltes Beispiel an: die alte Erzählung in Gestalt eines Zwiegesprächs zwischen Gautama und Yama, dem Großgesinnten.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That questions of dharma are clarified through authoritative precedents: the tradition preserves instructive dialogues (itihāsa) that the wise cite to illuminate ethical duty.
Bhishma signals a shift into an illustrative story: he introduces an ancient dialogue between the sage Gautama and Yama, which will serve as an example to explain the dharma under discussion.