Shloka 19
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । शिलोज्छवृत्ते: संवादं सिद्धस्य च युधिष्ठिर
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | śilocchavṛtteḥ saṁvādaṁ siddhasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «También aquí, oh Yudhiṣṭhira, se cita un precedente antiguo. Escucha ese relato de antaño: el diálogo entre un hombre que vivía de recoger los granos caídos (śiloccavṛtti) y un sabio consumado (siddha), recordado para esclarecer precisamente esta cuestión del dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma introduces an ancient illustrative story to clarify dharma: ethical questions are best understood through precedents that highlight self-restraint, purity of livelihood, and the authority of realized wisdom (a siddha) in guiding conduct.
Bhishma tells Yudhishthira that, to explain the topic under discussion, he will recount an old itihasa—specifically a conversation between a man living by gleaning fallen grains (śilocchavṛtti) and a siddha—setting up the moral instruction that follows in subsequent verses.