Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 9
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तं राजानं शोकविद्वलम् | विषण्णमनसं दृष्टवा विप्रो वचनमब्रवीत्
putraśokābhisaṃtaptaṃ rājānaṃ śokavidvalam | viṣaṇṇamanasaṃ dṛṣṭvā vipro vacanam abravīt |
Bhishma said: Seeing the king—scorched by grief for his son, shaken and weakened by sorrow, his mind sunk in despondency—the Brahmin addressed him with these words.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a dharmic lesson: intense personal grief can cloud judgment, especially for a ruler, and therefore wise counsel is needed to restore steadiness, perspective on mortality, and right conduct.
A king is overwhelmed by the death of his son. Observing his despondency, a Brahmin begins to speak—introducing a consolatory and instructive discourse that follows.