Shloka 16
Adhyāya 57: Tapas–Dāna Phala
On the Fruits of Austerity and Giving
त॑ दृष्टवात्यद्भुतं राजा मनसाचिन्तयत् तदा । स्वप्लोडयं चित्तविभ्रंश उताहो सत्यमेव तु,उस अति अदभुत दृश्यको देखकर राजा मन-ही-मन सोचने लगे--“अहो! यह स्वप्न है या मेरे चित्तमें भ्रम हो गया है अथवा यह सब कुछ सत्य ही है
taṁ dṛṣṭvā atyadbhutaṁ rājā manasā cintayat tadā | svapno ’yaṁ cittavibhrāṁśa utāho satyam eva tu ||
Seeing that exceedingly wondrous sight, the king then reflected within his mind: “Is this a dream, or has my mind fallen into delusion—or is all this truly real?”
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.