Shloka 14
Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
पृष्टश्न तेन विप्रेण दृष्ट॑ त्वेतन्निदर्शनम् । प्राह विप्रं तदा विप्र: सुप्रीतेनान््तरात्मना
pṛṣṭaś ca tena vipreṇa dṛṣṭvā tv etan nidarśanam | prāha vipraṁ tadā vipraḥ suprītenāntarātmanā ||
ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ അവൻ കണ്ട ആ ദൃഷ്ടാന്തത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ചോദിച്ചപ്പോൾ, അന്തരാത്മയിൽ അത്യന്തം പ്രസന്നനായ ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ അവിടെ കണ്ടതെല്ലാം മറ്റേ ബ്രാഹ്മണനോട് പറയാൻ തുടങ്ങി.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic communication: a respectful question by a learned person is answered with a truthful, complete account, offered with a pure and pleased inner disposition—suggesting that ethical instruction is best transmitted through sincere inquiry and honest narration.
Bhishma frames a scene where one brahmin asks another about an illustrative experience he has seen; the second brahmin, inwardly delighted, begins to recount what he witnessed during his journey, setting up the ensuing teaching or story.