Shloka 6
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
तस्य वेदविद: प्राज्ञा: श्रुत्वा तां साधुवृत्तताम् । लोकेषु स्पृहयन्त्यन्ये पुरुषा: पुरुषेश्वर
tasya vedavidaḥ prājñāḥ śrutvā tāṃ sādhuvṛttatām | lokeṣu spṛhayanty anye puruṣāḥ puruṣeśvara nareśvara ||
Bhīṣma dit : «En entendant parler de sa noble conduite, les sages—ceux qui connaissent les Veda—s’en prirent de désir; et d’autres hommes dans le monde aussi voulurent devenir vertueux comme lui, ô seigneur des hommes, ô roi.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True virtue (sādhuvṛtta) has a contagious power: when people hear of exemplary conduct, even the learned and the wider public develop a desire to emulate it. Dharma is strengthened not only by instruction but by living examples that inspire imitation.
In Bhishma’s discourse to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) in the Śānti Parva, he describes how reports of a certain person’s noble behavior spread. On hearing this, Veda-knowers and other people alike yearn to become similarly virtuous, highlighting the social reach of an individual’s righteous life.