Shloka 23
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
कालसंख्यानसंख्यातं सृष्टिस्थितिपरायणम् । त॑ भाषमाणं भगवानुशना प्रत्यभाषत । धीमान् दुष्टप्रलापांस्त्वं तात कस्मात् प्रभाषसे
kālasaṅkhyānasaṅkhyātaṃ sṛṣṭisthitiparāyaṇam | taṃ bhāṣamāṇaṃ bhagavān uśanā pratyabhāṣata | dhīmān duṣṭapralāpāṃs tvaṃ tāta kasmāt prabhāṣase |
Bhishma dit : «Tandis que Vṛtrāsura parlait du Suprême—Lui que l’on connaît par les mesures du temps et du nombre, et qui est le fondement ultime de la création et de la préservation—Bhagavān Uśanā (Śukrācārya) lui répondit : “Mon enfant, tu es intelligent ; pourquoi donc profères-tu des propos si corrompus et égarés, des paroles indignes de ton entendement ?”»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when discussing lofty truths about the Supreme as the ground of time, creation, and preservation, one must speak in a manner consistent with dharma—truthful, coherent, and ethically fitting. Wisdom is shown not only by knowledge but by disciplined, appropriate speech.
Vṛtrāsura is speaking about the Supreme Lord as the foundation of cosmic order. Hearing this, Uśanā (Śukrācārya), the Asura preceptor, responds by rebuking him, questioning why an intelligent person would utter ‘corrupt’ or improper words—framing the moment as a moral and rhetorical correction.