Shloka 8
Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
द्विजाते: कस्यचित् तात तुल्यवर्ण: सुतस्त्वभूत् । मतज़्े नाम नाम्ना वै सर्वे: समुदितो गुणै:
Dvijāteḥ kasyacit tāta tulyavarṇaḥ sutas tv abhūt | Mataṅga iti nāmnā vai sarvaiḥ samudito guṇaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon enfant, il fut un temps où naquit, d’un certain dvija (le “deux fois né”), un fils que l’on tenait pour de la même condition que son père. Il se nommait Mataṅga et possédait toutes les vertus.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the idea that recognized status is linked to qualities and formation (guṇa and saṃskāra) rather than merely to birth: Mataṅga, though born in a complex circumstance, is presented as equal in varṇa and complete in virtues.
Bhishma begins an illustrative account: he introduces Mataṅga, a virtuous son connected to a twice-born man, setting up a moral example that will be developed in the surrounding verses.