निबोधत यथावृत्तमुच्यमानं मयानघा: । राजवृत्तेन सम्पन्न: प्रज्मयाभिजनेन च
nibodhata yathāvṛttam ucyamānaṃ mayānaghāḥ | rājavṛttena sampannaḥ prajñayābhijanena ca ||
ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಹೇ ನಿರಪರಾಧಿಗಳೇ, ನಾನು ಹೇಳುವ ಯಥಾವೃತ್ತವನ್ನು ಗಮನದಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿರಿ. ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ರಾಜೋಚಿತ ವೃತ್ತದಿಂದ ಸಂಪನ್ನನಾಗಿದ್ದ; ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ವಂಶದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟನಾಗಿದ್ದ.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse frames Bhīṣma as an exemplar of dharma through rājavṛtta (royal ethical discipline), prajñā (wisdom), and abhijana (noble lineage), implying that true greatness is measured by conduct and discernment, not merely status.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the listeners as “blameless ones” and begins a truthful narration, introducing Bhīṣma’s virtues—his adherence to royal duty, his wisdom, and his noble birth—as part of a laudatory account connected with the aftermath of Bhīṣma’s passing.