Shloka 6
अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्
Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas
ऋते देवप्रसादाद् वा राजन् ज्ञानागमेन वा | गहनं होतदाख्यानं व्याख्यातव्यं तवारिहन्
ṛte devaprasādād vā rājan jñānāgamena vā | gahanaṃ hy etad ākhyānaṃ vyākhyātavyaṃ tavārihan ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, without the grace of the gods—or without the guidance of the scriptures grounded in true knowledge—this profound matter cannot be answered by mere reasoning, even over hundreds of years. O subduer of foes, though this subject is exceedingly difficult to grasp, I must still explain it for your sake.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that certain deep questions of dharma and truth cannot be settled by logic alone; they require either divine grace or guidance from authoritative knowledge-bearing scripture/tradition.
Yudhiṣṭhira has posed a very subtle question. Bhīṣma acknowledges its difficulty and warns that reasoning by itself is insufficient, yet he commits to explaining the matter for the king’s benefit.