Shloka 18
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
बहुना च किमुक्तेन गम्यतां यत्र वाउ्छसि । वपुष्मन्त्यो वयं सर्वा: किमस्माकं त्वयानघे
bahunā ca kimuktena gamyatāṁ yatra vāñchasi | vapuṣmantyo vayaṁ sarvāḥ kimasmākaṁ tvayānaghe ||
Bhīṣma dit : « À quoi bon prolonger cela par tant de paroles ? Va où tu le désires. Ô irréprochable, nous sommes toutes déjà pourvues de corps sains et bien formés ; que pourrions-nous avoir besoin de toi ? »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes restraint and decisiveness in speech: when further discussion is fruitless, one should not multiply words. Ethically, it also conveys detachment—declining an offered association or benefit by stating self-sufficiency and allowing the other freedom to go as they wish.
Bhishma, as the speaker, dismisses extended argument and grants the addressed woman freedom to depart wherever she chooses, adding that the group is already physically well-endowed and therefore has no need of her—an abrupt closure of the exchange.