Shloka 16
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
भीष्म उवाच इत्येतद् ब्रुवतो राजन् ब्राह्मणस्य मया श्रुतम् । कथां कथयत: पुण्यां धर्मज्ञस्य पुरातनीम्,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! यह कथा मैंने एक धर्मज्ञ ब्राह्मणके मुखसे सुनी है; जो प्राचीनकालकी पवित्र कथाएँ सुनाता था
bhīṣma uvāca—ity etad bruvato rājan brāhmaṇasya mayā śrutam | kathāṃ kathayataḥ puṇyāṃ dharmajñasya purātanīm ||
Bhishma said: “O King, I heard this from the mouth of a Brahmin—one who knew dharma—while he was recounting an ancient, sacred tale.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the authority and sanctity of the teaching by tracing it to a dharma-knowing Brahmin and an ancient, meritorious tradition—implying that ethical instruction is best grounded in reliable lineage and sacred narrative.
Bhishma introduces the source of the account he is about to relate to the king: he previously heard it from a Brahmin who was narrating an old and holy story, setting up the forthcoming instruction as traditional and trustworthy.