Shloka 16
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । संवादं मृत्युगौतम्यो: काललुब्धकपन्नगै:,इस विषयमें विद्वान् पुरुष गौतमी ब्राह्मणी, व्याध, सर्प, मृत्यु और कालके संवादरूप इस प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया करते हैं
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | saṁvādaṁ mṛtyu-gautamyoḥ kāla-lubdhaka-pannagaiḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dalam perkara ini pula, para bijak mengemukakan sebuah kisah purba sebagai teladan—sebuah narasi lama dalam bentuk dialog: percakapan Gautamī dengan Maut, dengan Kala (Waktu), sang pemburu, dan ular sebagai pihak yang turut hadir. Riwayat turun-temurun ini disampaikan sebagai contoh bagi persoalan yang sedang dibahas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma signals a dharma-style method of instruction: ethical questions are clarified through an authoritative ancient exemplum (itihāsa). By invoking a dialogue that includes Death and Time, the passage frames the coming lesson around mortality, causality, and the limits of human control—guiding the listener toward discernment, acceptance, and right understanding of responsibility.
Bhishma introduces an old story used by learned people as an illustration. He announces that the topic will be explained through a dialogue involving Gautamī, along with personified Death and Time, and also a hunter and a serpent—setting up a multi-voiced debate about how a tragic event occurs and how one should interpret blame, fate, and dharma.