Shloka 2
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् | चिरकारेस्तु यत् पूर्व वृत्तमाड्निरसे कुले
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | cirakāres tu yat pūrvaṃ vṛttam āṅgirase kule ||
Bhishma said: “Here too, the learned cite an ancient precedent. It concerns what happened long ago to Cirakāri, born in the lineage of Aṅgiras.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames his counsel through an ‘itihāsa’—a moral precedent—implying that ethical judgment is clarified by recalling earlier exemplars, especially those highlighting careful deliberation rather than rash action.
Bhishma begins introducing an old story: an incident involving Cirakāri of the Aṅgirasa lineage. This verse functions as a transition into that illustrative episode.