Shloka 3
भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! तुम्हारा कल्याण हो। जिस मनुष्यका उत्थान या पतन होनेको होता है, उसका मन ही उसके पूर्व लक्षणोंको प्रकट कर देता है ।। अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । श्रिया शक्रस्य संवादं त॑ निबोध युधिछ्िर,इस विषयमें लक्ष्मीके साथ जो इन्द्रका संवाद हुआ था, उस प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण यहाँ दिया जाता है। युधिष्ठिर! तुम ध्यान देकर उसे सुनो
bhīṣma uvāca—yudhiṣṭhira! tava kalyāṇaṃ bhavatu. yasya puruṣasya utthānaṃ vā patanaṃ vā bhavitum icchati, tasya mana eva pūrva-lakṣaṇāni prakāśayati. atrāpy udāharanti imam itihāsaṃ purātanam—śriyā śakrasya saṃvādaṃ; taṃ nibodha yudhiṣṭhira. (asmin viṣaye lakṣmyā saha indrasya yaḥ saṃvādaḥ, tasya purātanasya itihāsasya udāharaṇam iha dīyate; yudhiṣṭhira, avadhānena śṛṇu.)
Bhishma said: “Yudhishthira, may you be blessed. When a person is destined to rise or to fall, it is the mind itself that first reveals the signs of what is to come. In this matter, an ancient precedent is cited: the dialogue between Shri (Lakshmi) and Shakra (Indra). Listen to it attentively, Yudhishthira.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a person’s inner mind and disposition are the earliest indicators of impending prosperity or downfall; external outcomes follow inner tendencies. He supports this with an authoritative ancient example—the dialogue of Lakshmi and Indra.
Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira with a blessing and introduces a traditional story. He announces that he will recount an old dialogue between Lakshmi (fortune) and Indra (Shakra) to illustrate how rise and fall are preceded by mental signs.