ब्राह्मणपूजायां व्युष्टिः — Vyuṣṭi (Merit-Outcome) of Honoring Brāhmaṇas: Kṛṣṇa and Durvāsā
भीष्म उवाच अहं ते कथयिष्यामि कथामतिमनोहराम् । अस्य विष्णो: पुरा राजन् प्रभावो यो मया श्रुत:
bhīṣma uvāca: ahaṃ te kathayiṣyāmi kathām atimanoharām | asya viṣṇoḥ purā rājan prabhāvo yo mayā śrutaḥ |
भीष्म म्हणाले—हे राजन्! मी तुला एक अत्यंत मनोहर कथा सांगीन. या विष्णूचा प्राचीन प्रभाव मी जो ऐकला आहे, तोच मी तुला कथन करीन.
भीष्म उवाच
The verse frames dharmic instruction through sacred storytelling: Bhishma emphasizes that the greatness (prabhāva) of Vishnu is known through reliable tradition (‘what I have heard’), inviting the listener to learn ethics and devotion via received accounts rather than mere opinion.
Bhishma begins a new episode, telling the king that he will narrate an especially engaging ancient account concerning Vishnu’s majesty, setting up a longer theological story that follows in the chapter.