Shloka 88
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
एवमुक्त: सहस्राक्षो भगवान् पाकशासन:
evam uktaḥ sahasrākṣo bhagavān pākāśāsanaḥ
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു: ഇങ്ങനെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ സഹസ്രാക്ഷനായ ഭഗവാൻ—പാകശാസനൻ ഇന്ദ്രൻ—ധർമ്മക്രമം സംരക്ഷിക്കാനും തന്റെ ദിവ്യാധികാരത്തിന് യോജിച്ച രീതിയിലും യഥോചിതമായി മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a narrative hinge: when a righteous or significant question is put forward, a higher authority (here Indra) is portrayed as responding in alignment with dharma, underscoring that ethical order is upheld through accountable speech and principled reply.
Bhīṣma marks a transition: someone has spoken to Indra, and now Indra—identified by epithets highlighting his power and vigilance—is about to answer, moving the discourse forward within the Shānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance.