Shloka 3
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
भीष्म उवाच नैतच्छुत्वा55गमादेव तव धर्मानुशासनम् | प्रज्ञासमवहारो5यं कविभि: सम्भूतं मधु
bhīṣma uvāca | naitat śrutvāgamād eva tava dharmānuśāsanam | prajñā-samavahāro 'yaṃ kavibhiḥ sambhūtaṃ madhu ||
Bhishma said: “My child, this instruction on dharma that I have given you is not merely something I repeated after hearing it from scripture alone. It is a gathered treasury of discernment—like honey formed by bees from the nectar of many different flowers—compiled by wise seers from many sources. Such collected insights may be useful in times of difficulty; they are not all meant to be applied indiscriminately at every moment. Therefore, let your mind not fall into delusion or despair.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that dharma-teaching is not mere rote citation of scripture; it is a distilled compendium of practical wisdom gathered by sages from many sources, to be applied with discernment—especially in difficult situations—without falling into confusion or despair.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma continues advising the listener (contextually Yudhishthira) and clarifies the authority and purpose of his counsel: it is a carefully collected ‘honey’ of insights from learned tradition, meant for judicious use rather than rigid, universal application.