Shloka 8
ब्राह्मणपूजायां व्युष्टिः — Vyuṣṭi (Merit-Outcome) of Honoring Brāhmaṇas: Kṛṣṇa and Durvāsā
भीष्म उवाच अहं ते कथयिष्यामि कथामतिमनोहराम् । अस्य विष्णो: पुरा राजन् प्रभावो यो मया श्रुत:
bhīṣma uvāca: ahaṃ te kathayiṣyāmi kathām atimanoharām | asya viṣṇoḥ purā rājan prabhāvo yo mayā śrutaḥ |
Bhīṣma berkata: Wahai raja, akan kuceritakan kepadamu sebuah kisah yang amat memikat. Aku akan menuturkan kemuliaan kuno dari Viṣṇu ini—sebagaimana yang pernah kudengar dahulu.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharmic instruction through sacred storytelling: Bhishma emphasizes that the greatness (prabhāva) of Vishnu is known through reliable tradition (‘what I have heard’), inviting the listener to learn ethics and devotion via received accounts rather than mere opinion.
Bhishma begins a new episode, telling the king that he will narrate an especially engaging ancient account concerning Vishnu’s majesty, setting up a longer theological story that follows in the chapter.