Shloka 8
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
तद् ब्रूहि मां सुविश्रब्धो यत् त्वं वाचा वदिष्यसि । तत् करिष्याम्यहं सर्व मा त्वं शोके मन: कृथा:,“अतः तुम पूर्ण विश्वास रखकर मुझसे अपनी बात बताओ, तुम अपने मुँहसे जो कुछ कहोगे, वह सब मैं करूँगा; अतः तुम मनमें शोक न करो”
tad brūhi māṃ suviśrabdho yat tvaṃ vācā vadiṣyasi | tat kariṣyāmy ahaṃ sarvaṃ mā tvaṃ śoke manaḥ kṛthāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Therefore, speak to me with complete confidence whatever you intend to say. Whatever you utter, I shall carry out in full. So do not let your mind fall into grief.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dhārmic leader should reassure the distressed, invite truthful speech without fear, and commit to responsible action—removing grief through trust, clarity, and pledged support.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses the listener with confidence-building words: he urges them to speak freely and promises to fulfill what is asked, so that sorrow and hesitation are dispelled.