निबोधत यथावृत्तमुच्यमानं मयानघा: । राजवृत्तेन सम्पन्न: प्रज्मयाभिजनेन च
nibodhata yathāvṛttam ucyamānaṃ mayānaghāḥ | rājavṛttena sampannaḥ prajñayābhijanena ca ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô vous qui êtes sans faute, écoutez attentivement le récit véridique tel que je le rapporte. Bhīṣma était pourvu de la conduite et de la discipline d’un roi ; il se distinguait aussi par la sagesse et la noblesse de sa lignée.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse frames Bhīṣma as an exemplar of dharma through rājavṛtta (royal ethical discipline), prajñā (wisdom), and abhijana (noble lineage), implying that true greatness is measured by conduct and discernment, not merely status.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the listeners as “blameless ones” and begins a truthful narration, introducing Bhīṣma’s virtues—his adherence to royal duty, his wisdom, and his noble birth—as part of a laudatory account connected with the aftermath of Bhīṣma’s passing.