Shloka 9
अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing
अविज्ञायैव मे प्रज्ञां बालस्येव स पण्डित: । ब्रह्मन पितेव पुत्रस्य प्रीतिमानू भव शौनक
avijñāyaiva me prajñāṃ bālasyeva sa paṇḍitaḥ | brahman piteva putrasya prītimānū bhava śaunaka ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Brāhmaṇa Śaunaka, obgleich du gelehrt bist, beurteile mein Verständnis nicht allzu streng, wie man den kindlichen Verstand eines Knaben übergeht. Sei mir gütig gesinnt, wie ein Vater aus natürlicher Zuneigung an seinem Sohn Gefallen hat.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models humility and respectful discourse: a speaker asks the learned listener to respond with patience and affectionate forbearance, like a father toward a child, rather than harsh judgment.
Bhīṣma addresses the sage Śaunaka, acknowledging Śaunaka’s learning and requesting indulgence toward Bhīṣma’s own limitations, using the father–son relationship as an ethical analogy for compassionate listening.