Shloka 4
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
तात! इस विषयमें विज्ञ पुरुष इन्द्र और गौतम मुनिके संवादरूप प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया करते हैं ।। ब्राह्मणो गौतम: कश्रिन्मृदुर्दान्तो जितेन्द्रिय: । महावने हस्तिशिशुं परिद्यूनममातृकम्
tāta! asmin viṣaye vijñāḥ puruṣā indra-gautama-munyoḥ saṃvāda-rūpaṃ prācīnam itihāsam udāharaṇam dīyate. brāhmaṇo gautamaḥ kaścid mṛdur dānto jitendriyaḥ. mahāvane hastī-śiśuṃ paridyūnam amātṛkam.
ビーシュマは言った。「わが子よ、この事について学識ある者たちは、インドラと聖仙ゴータマの対話として伝わる古い先例を引く。かつてゴータマという名のバラモンがいた。温和で、戒律に堅く、諸根を制した者である。彼は大いなる森の中で、疲れ果ててさまよい、母を失った幼い象に出会った。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the ethical point through an authoritative precedent: learned tradition relies on ancient dialogue-stories (itihāsa) to clarify dharma. The verse also foregrounds the moral qualifications of the exemplar—gentleness, discipline, and sense-control—suggesting that right action arises from inner restraint and compassion.
Bhishma introduces an old story told as a conversation between Indra and Gautama. The scene is set by describing Gautama’s character and his encounter in a great forest with a distressed, motherless elephant calf—an incident that will prompt the ensuing ethical discussion.