Shloka 4

Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्तस्तदा तार्क्ष्य: सर्वशास्त्रविदां वर: । विबुध्य सम्पदं चाग्र्यां सद्बाक्यमिदमब्रवीत्‌,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्‌! राजा सगरके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर सम्पूर्ण शास्त्रज्ञोंमें श्रेष्ठ ताक्ष्य (अरिष्टनेमि)-ने उनमें सर्वोत्तम दैवी सम्पत्तिके गुण जानकर उनको इस प्रकार उत्तम उपदेश दिया--

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca evam uktas tadā tārkṣyaḥ sarvaśāstravidāṃ varaḥ | vibudhya sampadaṃ cāgryāṃ sadbākyam idam abravīt ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Thus addressed at that time, Tārkṣya—foremost among all who know the scriptures—having discerned the highest divine excellence (the noblest inner wealth), spoke these wholesome words of counsel.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'evam uktas', 'definition': 'thus spoken to

• thus addressed'}, {'term': 'tadā', 'definition': 'then

• at that time'}, {'term': 'tārkṣyaḥ', 'definition': 'Tārkṣya

• a proper name (here identified in the Gita Press note with Ariṣṭanemi)'}, {'term': 'sarva-śāstra-vidām varaḥ', 'definition': 'the best among all knowers of the śāstras (scriptural and disciplinary sciences)'}, {'term': 'vibudhya', 'definition': 'having understood

• having discerned clearly'}, {'term': 'sampad', 'definition': 'wealth

• endowment (often moral/spiritual ‘inner wealth’)'}, {'term': 'agr(y)ā', 'definition': 'foremost

• best'}, {'term': 'sad-bākyam', 'definition': 'good/wholesome words

• truthful and beneficial counsel'}, {'term': 'idam abravīt', 'definition': 'said this

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Tārkṣya (Ariṣṭanemi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical instruction as grounded in śāstra and in discerning the ‘highest’ inner excellence (agrā sampad). It signals that the forthcoming advice is meant to be both true and beneficial (sad-bākya), i.e., morally elevating counsel rather than mere rhetoric.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma narrates that, after being questioned, Tārkṣya—renowned for scriptural mastery—reflects on the supreme form of ‘divine endowment’ and begins to instruct with well-formed, wholesome words. This verse serves as a transition into Tārkṣya’s teaching.