Shloka 76
Gopradāna-phalasaṃprāpti: Nāciketa’s Vision of Vaivasvata’s Realms (गोप्रदानफलसम्प्राप्तिः — नाचिकेतोपाख्यानम्)
यतश्न यद् यथा चैव देवसत्रे महामते । कुन्तीनन्दन! तुमने सावित्रीके शुभ वचनको भी सुना है। महामते देवताओंके यज्ञमें जिस हेतुसे और जिस प्रकार जो वचन सावित्रीने कहा था, वह इस प्रकार है--
yataśna yad yathā caiva devasatre mahāmate | kuntīnandana! tvam sāvitryāḥ śubha-vacanaṃ api śrutavān asi | mahāmate devatānāṃ yajñe yasmin hetau yathā ca yat vacanaṃ sāvitryā uvāca, tad idaṃ yathā—
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai putera Kunti yang bijaksana, engkau juga telah mendengar kata-kata suci lagi membawa berkat yang diucapkan oleh Savitri. Dalam sidang korban suci para dewa yang agung itu, atas tujuan apa dan dengan cara bagaimana ia menuturkan kata-kata tersebut—wahai yang berhati mulia—beginilah halnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a framing device: Bhishma emphasizes that ethical instruction is grounded in authoritative, auspicious speech delivered with a clear purpose and proper method. It prepares the listener to receive Savitri’s words as a dharmic exemplar—teaching that intention (hetu) and manner (yathā) matter in moral counsel.
Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira and transitions into recounting Savitri’s statement. He notes that Yudhishthira has heard of it before and now introduces the context: during a devasatra (a divine sacrificial session), Savitri spoke certain words for a particular reason and in a particular way; Bhishma is about to quote or narrate them.