Shloka 23
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
कालसंख्यानसंख्यातं सृष्टिस्थितिपरायणम् । त॑ भाषमाणं भगवानुशना प्रत्यभाषत । धीमान् दुष्टप्रलापांस्त्वं तात कस्मात् प्रभाषसे
kālasaṅkhyānasaṅkhyātaṃ sṛṣṭisthitiparāyaṇam | taṃ bhāṣamāṇaṃ bhagavān uśanā pratyabhāṣata | dhīmān duṣṭapralāpāṃs tvaṃ tāta kasmāt prabhāṣase |
Bhishma berkata: “Ketika Vṛtrāsura berbicara tentang Yang Mahatinggi—Dia yang dikenal melalui ukuran waktu dan bilangan, dan yang menjadi sandaran tertinggi bagi penciptaan serta pemeliharaan—Bhagavān Uśanā (Śukrācārya) menanggapi: ‘Anakku, engkau cerdas; mengapa engkau melontarkan ucapan yang rusak dan menyimpang, kata-kata yang tak sepadan dengan pengertianmu?’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when discussing lofty truths about the Supreme as the ground of time, creation, and preservation, one must speak in a manner consistent with dharma—truthful, coherent, and ethically fitting. Wisdom is shown not only by knowledge but by disciplined, appropriate speech.
Vṛtrāsura is speaking about the Supreme Lord as the foundation of cosmic order. Hearing this, Uśanā (Śukrācārya), the Asura preceptor, responds by rebuking him, questioning why an intelligent person would utter ‘corrupt’ or improper words—framing the moment as a moral and rhetorical correction.