Shloka 116
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
कस्य वै को मतः कामो ब्रूत सत्य॑ द्विजोत्तमा: । तब राजा वसुने हाथ जोड़कर उन सबसे पूछा--'विप्रवरो! आपलोग सच-सच बताइये
kasya vai ko mataḥ kāmo brūta satyaṃ dvijottamāḥ |
भीष्म बोले—“हे द्विजोत्तमो, सत्य-सत्य बताइए—किसका कौन-सा मत अभीष्ट है?” तब राजा वसु ने हाथ जोड़कर उनसे पूछा—“विप्रवरो! स्पष्ट कहिए—कौन ‘अज’ का अर्थ बकरा मानता है और कौन अन्न, ताकि निर्णय निष्पक्ष हो।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and clarity in counsel: when words admit multiple meanings, ethical decision-making requires openly stating one’s intended interpretation rather than manipulating ambiguity for advantage.
Bhishma recounts a scene where King Vasu, with folded hands, asks the Brahmins to declare honestly which meaning they accept—whether ‘aja’ should be understood as ‘goat’ or as ‘grain/food’—so he can judge or act without bias.