Shloka 6
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
ब्रह्माश्रमपदे वृत्तं पाश्वे हिमवत: शुभे । तत्राश्रमपद पुण्यं नानावृक्षणणायुतम्
brahmāśramapade vṛttaṁ pārśve himavataḥ śubhe | tatrāśramapadaṁ puṇyaṁ nānāvṛkṣagaṇāyutam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Cet événement se produisit dans un établissement d’ermitage sacré, près de l’auspicieux Himālaya. Là, dans cette contrée, se dressait un āśrama saint, orné d’une multitude d’arbres variés.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the forthcoming instruction within a puṇya (sacred, merit-bearing) āśrama setting near the Himālaya, implying that ethical discourse and dharma are best grounded in purity of place, disciplined life, and proximity to sages and brahminical practice.
Bhīṣma introduces the location of an incident: near the Himālaya there is a brahmin hermitage-settlement, and within it a particularly holy āśrama rich with many kinds of trees; this serves as the scene-setting for the story that follows.