Shloka 91
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
वक्ता श्रोता च वाक््यं च यदा त्वविकलं नृप । सममेति विवक्षायां तदा सोअ्डर्थ: प्रकाशते
vaktā śrotā ca vākyaṃ ca yadā tv avikalaṃ nṛpa | samam eti vivakṣāyāṃ tadā so 'rthaḥ prakāśate ||
Bhīṣma said: “O king, when the speaker, the listener, and the utterance are all unimpaired and come into a single, balanced alignment at the moment of intending to speak, then the meaning intended by the speaker becomes manifest—truly understood by the listener.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Meaning is successfully communicated only when three factors are sound and aligned: a competent speaker, a receptive and capable listener, and a well-formed statement. When these meet in balance at the moment of expression, the intended sense becomes clear rather than distorted.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on principles of dharma and wise conduct. Here he highlights the conditions required for true understanding in discourse—an ethical and practical guideline for teaching, counsel, and governance.