Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
त्वमेव दैवतै: सर्वे: पृच्छयसे धर्मसंशयात् । अतत्त्वं देवदेवानामाधिपत्ये प्रतिष्ठित:
tvam eva daivataiḥ sarvaiḥ pṛcchyase dharma-saṁśayāt | atattvaṁ deva-devānām ādhipatye pratiṣṭhitaḥ ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಧರ್ಮದ ಕುರಿತು ಸಂಶಯ ಉಂಟಾದಾಗ ಎಲ್ಲ ದೇವತೆಗಳೂ ನಿನ್ನನ್ನೇ ವಿಚಾರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನೀನು ದೇವರ ದೇವರ ಮೇಲೆಯೂ ಅಧಿಪತ್ಯಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿರನಾಗಿದ್ದೀಯ—ಸತ್ಯಾಸತ್ಯವನ್ನು ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವವನು.
भीष्म उवाच
True authority is grounded in clarity about dharma: the one who can resolve moral doubt and distinguish truth from error becomes worthy of supreme leadership, even in a divine sense.
Bhishma praises the addressee as an unsurpassed arbiter of dharma, saying that even the gods approach him to resolve ethical uncertainty; this acclaim frames the ensuing instruction on right conduct and governance.