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 dit : « Ici encore, ô Yudhiṣṭhira, on cite un précédent ancien. Écoute ce récit d’autrefois : le dialogue entre un homme qui vivait en glanant les grains tombés (śiloccavṛtti) et un sage accompli (siddha), rappelé pour éclairer cette question même du 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.