Shloka 4
नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि प्रामाण्यमुभयोस्तयो: । शृणुष्वैकमना: पार्थ च्छिन्नधर्मार्थसंशयम्
atra te vartayiṣyāmi prāmāṇyam ubhayos tayoḥ | śṛṇuṣvaikamanāḥ pārtha chinnadharmārthasaṁśayam ||
Bhīṣma said: “Here I shall explain to you the authoritative basis of both of these positions. Listen with a single-pointed mind, O Pārtha, and I will cut through your doubts concerning dharma and artha.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames his instruction as a pramāṇa-based clarification: he will establish the validity of two competing considerations and resolve Arjuna’s uncertainty about how dharma (moral duty) and artha (practical welfare/policy) should be understood and applied.
In the Śānti Parva’s post-war instruction, Bhīṣma addresses Arjuna directly, asking him to listen attentively while he explains and adjudicates between two viewpoints, aiming to remove Arjuna’s doubts regarding right conduct and practical aims.