Shloka 3
Vītahavya’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya (Vītahavya–Vipratva) | वीतहव्यस्य ब्राह्मण्यप्राप्तिः
मतज् परमं स्थान प्रार्थयन् विनशिष्यसि । मा कृथा: साहसं पुत्र नैष धर्मपथस्तव,मतंग! तुम इस उत्तम स्थानको माँगते-माँगते मर जाओगे। बेटा! दुःसाहस न करो। तुम्हारे लिये यह धर्मका मार्ग नहीं है
mataṅga! tvaṁ paramaṁ sthānaṁ prārthayan vinaśiṣyasi | mā kṛthāḥ sāhasaṁ putra naiṣa dharmapathas tava ||
“Wahai Mataṅga, dengan terus memohon kedudukan tertinggi itu, engkau akan binasa. Anakku, jangan lakukan keberanian yang nekat ini; ini bukan jalan dharma bagimu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that pursuing a lofty status through reckless insistence leads to ruin; dharma requires discernment, restraint, and choosing a fitting righteous path rather than audacious overreach.
Bhīṣma addresses Mataṅga directly, cautioning him that his repeated demand for the “highest station” will end in destruction, and urges him to abandon this rash course as it is not appropriate to his dharmic path.