Shloka 8
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
गतिज्ञ: सर्वभूतानां भाषाज्ञश्व शरीरिणाम् । सर्वज्ञ: स तदा दृष्टवा कीटं वचनमव्रवीत्
gatijñaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ bhāṣājñaś ca śarīriṇām | sarvajñaḥ sa tadā dṛṣṭvā kīṭaṃ vacanam abravīt ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Lui qui connaissait les destinées de tous les êtres et comprenait les langues des créatures incarnées, lui l’omniscient, alors—ayant vu un ver—prononça ces paroles.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical stance of attentive, compassionate instruction: a truly wise person understands the varied destinies of beings and can communicate appropriately even with the smallest creature, implying reverence for life and responsible speech.
Bhīṣma introduces a scene in which a supremely knowledgeable figure—described as knowing the paths of all beings and their languages—sees a worm and begins to address it, setting up a moral or instructive dialogue.