Shloka 8
Khaḍgotpattiḥ (Origin and Dharmic Function of the Sword) | खड्गोत्पत्तिः
एतस्य वा प्रवत्तेश्च वृद्धादीन्यां श्व पृच्छसि । विस्तरेण महाराज शृणु तच्च विशेषत:,महाराज! इस अज्ञानकी उत्पत्ति और वृद्धि आदिके विषयमें जो प्रश्न कर रहे हो, उसके विषयमें विशेष विस्तारके साथ किया हुआ मेरा वर्णन सुनो
etasyā vā pravṛtteś ca vṛddhādīnyāṃ śva pṛcchasi | vistareṇa mahārāja śṛṇu tac ca viśeṣataḥ ||
Bhishma said: “O great king, you ask about the arising of this (ignorance) and about its growth and related stages. Listen, then, as I describe it to you in detail—carefully and with particular distinctions.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the next section as a systematic explanation of ignorance—how it begins, how it increases, and how its stages can be distinguished—implying that ethical clarity and right conduct require understanding the roots and development of delusion.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira has asked about the origin and progression of ignorance. Bhishma responds by inviting him to listen to a detailed, step-by-step account, setting up a longer exposition.