Shloka 3
Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
बद्धः पाशैशच्युत: स्थानाद् द्विषतां वशमागतः । श्रिया विहीनो नमुचे शोचस्यथाहो न शोचसि
bhīṣma uvāca | baddhaḥ pāśaiś cyutaḥ sthānād dviṣatāṃ vaśam āgataḥ | śriyā vihīno namuce śocasy athāho na śocasi ||
„O Namuci! Du bist mit Stricken gebunden, aus deiner Stellung gestürzt, in die Gewalt deiner Feinde geraten und der Wohlfahrt beraubt. Beklagst du diesen elenden Zustand—oder, erstaunlicherweise, beklagst du ihn überhaupt nicht?“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes the proper response to downfall: when one is stripped of position and prosperity and placed under hostile control, is one overwhelmed by grief or able to remain steady? It sets up an ethical reflection on attachment to status and wealth versus inner composure and discernment.
Bhishma addresses Namuci directly, describing his humiliating condition—bound, displaced, subjugated by enemies, and bereft of fortune—and challenges him with a pointed question about whether he laments this state or shows unexpected absence of grief.