Shloka 87
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
उपेतार्थमभिन्नार्थ न्यायवृत्तं न चाधिकम् । नाश्लक्ष्णं न च संदिग्धं वक्ष्यामि परमं ततः
upetārtham abhinnārthaṃ nyāyavṛttaṃ na cādhikam | nāślakṣṇaṃ na ca saṃdigdhaṃ vakṣyāmi paramaṃ tataḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “I shall now speak the highest teaching—making the intended meaning clear, consistent in sense, grounded in right reasoning and proper conduct; neither excessive nor overextended, neither harsh nor obscure, and free from ambiguity.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma sets a standard for dharmic instruction: speech should be purposeful, internally consistent, aligned with justice and right conduct, measured (not excessive), gentle (not harsh), and unambiguous—so that ethical truth can be received and applied without confusion.
In the Śānti Parva’s extended instruction, Bhīṣma transitions into a ‘highest’ teaching and prefaces it by assuring the listener that his forthcoming counsel will be clear, coherent, ethically grounded, and free from harshness or doubt.