Shloka 37
ब्राह्मणस्य वचस्तथ्यं तच्च कर्म तथाविधम् | भीष्म: श्रुत्वा कुमाराणां द्रोणं तं प्रत्यजानत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--“बहुत अच्छा” कहकर वे कुमार भीष्मजीके पास गये और ब्राह्यणकी सच्ची बातों तथा उनके उस अद्भुत पराक्रमको भी उन्होंने भीष्मजीसे कह सुनाया। कुमारोंकी बातें सुनकर भीष्मजी समझ गये कि वे आचार्य द्रोण हैं
brāhmaṇasya vacas tathyaṃ tacca karma tathāvidham | bhīṣmaḥ śrutvā kumārāṇāṃ droṇaṃ taṃ pratyajānata | vaiśampāyana uvāca |
Vaiśampāyana said: The Brahmin’s words were truthful, and his deed was of that very extraordinary kind. When Bhīṣma heard the princes’ report, he recognized that man as Droṇa. The episode underscores the ethical weight given to truthfulness in speech and the credibility earned when words are matched by fitting action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truth (tathya) gains moral force when it is corroborated by appropriate action (karma). The verse highlights an ethical standard: credibility is established when speech and deed align, enabling wise elders to judge character correctly.
After hearing the princes’ account of a Brahmin whose words proved true and whose feat matched his claim, Bhīṣma immediately identifies the man as Droṇa, setting the stage for Droṇa’s acceptance and role as the princes’ martial teacher.