Shloka 8
मायासभायां दुर्योधनस्य अवमान-प्रसङ्गः
Duryodhana’s Humiliation in the Hall of Māyā
याथातथ्येन भगवान् देवो वा यदि वेतर: । श्रोतुमिच्छामि पुत्रस्य को<स्य मृत्युर्भविष्यति
yāthātathyena bhagavān devo vā yadi vetaraḥ | śrotum icchāmi putrasya ko 'sya mṛtyur bhaviṣyati ||
“In exact truth—whether the one who spoke is a venerable deity or some other being—I wish to hear clearly: who will become the cause of this son’s death?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds commitment to yāthātathya—hearing the truth exactly as it is—without being swayed by the speaker’s status (divine or otherwise). Ethically, it values truthful knowledge and clear causality over rumor, prestige, or fear.
Bhishma asks for a precise, authoritative clarification about a foretold death: regardless of whether the informant is a god or another being, he wants to know who will be the instrumental cause (nimitta) of the son’s death.