Shloka 14
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
पृष्टश्न तेन विप्रेण दृष्ट॑ त्वेतन्निदर्शनम् । प्राह विप्रं तदा विप्र: सुप्रीतेनान््तरात्मना
pṛṣṭaś ca tena vipreṇa dṛṣṭvā tv etan nidarśanam | prāha vipraṁ tadā vipraḥ suprītenāntarātmanā ||
Bhishma dijo: Cuando aquel brahmán le preguntó por lo que había presenciado como ejemplo ilustrativo, el brahmán—con el ánimo interior profundamente complacido—comenzó entonces a relatar al otro brahmán todo cuanto había visto allí, en el marco de su viaje. El pasaje presenta la indagación respetuosa y la narración veraz como parte de la conducta dhármica.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic communication: a respectful question by a learned person is answered with a truthful, complete account, offered with a pure and pleased inner disposition—suggesting that ethical instruction is best transmitted through sincere inquiry and honest narration.
Bhishma frames a scene where one brahmin asks another about an illustrative experience he has seen; the second brahmin, inwardly delighted, begins to recount what he witnessed during his journey, setting up the ensuing teaching or story.