Shloka 3
Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
भीष्म उवाच हन्त ते वर्तयिष्यामि यथावद् भरतर्षभ । गदतस्तन्ममाद्येह शृणु सत्यपराक्रम
bhīṣma uvāca: hanta te vartayiṣyāmi yathāvad bharatarṣabha | gadataḥ tan mamādyeha śṛṇu satyaparākrama ||
Bhishma berkata: “Marilah—wahai yang terunggul dalam kalangan Bharata—aku akan menceritakan kepadamu segala-galanya tepat sebagaimana adanya. Dengarlah hari ini, di sini, daripada mulutku sendiri ketika aku berkata-kata, wahai engkau yang keberaniannya berlandaskan kebenaran.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the ethical frame for instruction: Bhishma promises a truthful, orderly account (yathāvat) and urges attentive listening. It highlights that dharma-teaching should be transmitted with accuracy and received with disciplined attention, grounded in truth.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (called bharatarṣabha and satyaparākrama) and signals the start of a detailed exposition, asking him to listen as Bhishma speaks.