Shloka 13
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
अस्मिन्नर्थे पुरा गीतं शृणुष्वैकमना नृप । यथा दैत्येन वृत्रेण भ्रष्टैश्व्॒येण चेष्टितम्
asminn arthe purā gītaṃ śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa | yathā daityena vṛtreṇa bhraṣṭaiśvaryeṇa ceṣṭitam ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Sur ce point même, ô roi, un ancien récit fut jadis chanté—écoute-le d’un esprit unifié. Il raconte comment le Daitya Vṛtra se conduisit lorsqu’il fut déchu de sa souveraineté et de sa prospérité. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma introduces an old exemplum to illustrate ethical steadiness: even when one is stripped of power and fortune, one should act with composure and disciplined purpose, not with despair or grasping.
Bhīṣma asks the king to listen attentively to an ancient recited account describing how Vṛtra, a Daitya, conducted himself after losing his sovereignty—setting up a moral illustration through Vṛtra’s response to defeat.