Shloka 9
अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing
अविज्ञायैव मे प्रज्ञां बालस्येव स पण्डित: । ब्रह्मन पितेव पुत्रस्य प्रीतिमानू भव शौनक
avijñāyaiva me prajñāṃ bālasyeva sa paṇḍitaḥ | brahman piteva putrasya prītimānū bhava śaunaka ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Brāhmaṇa Śaunaka, though you are learned, do not judge my understanding too strictly, as one might overlook the childish intellect of a boy. Be kindly disposed toward me, just as a father, out of natural affection, is pleased with his son.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models humility and respectful discourse: a speaker asks the learned listener to respond with patience and affectionate forbearance, like a father toward a child, rather than harsh judgment.
Bhīṣma addresses the sage Śaunaka, acknowledging Śaunaka’s learning and requesting indulgence toward Bhīṣma’s own limitations, using the father–son relationship as an ethical analogy for compassionate listening.