Shloka 5
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन्! राजा ब्रह्मदत्तके घरमें पूजनी चिड़ियाके साथ जो उनका संवाद हुआ था, उसे ही तुम्हारे समाधानके लिये उपस्थित करता हूँ, सुनो ।।
bhīṣma uvāca—rājan! kāmpilye brahmadattasya tv antaḥpura-nivāsinī | pūjanī nāma śakunir dīrgha-kālaṃ sahoṣitā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, demi meleraikan keraguanmu, akan aku bentangkan kembali dialog yang pernah berlaku di Kampilya, di rumah Raja Brahmadatta, dengan seekor burung yang mulia bernama Pūjanī—dengarkanlah. Di kota Kampilya, memerintah seorang raja bernama Brahmadatta. Di bahagian dalam istananya (antahpura) tinggal seekor burung yang terkenal dengan nama Pūjanī, yang telah lama menetap bersama mereka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through an illustrative tale: Bhishma introduces an earlier dialogue involving a long-resident, revered bird in a king’s palace, implying that wisdom and dharma can be conveyed through unexpected speakers and remembered exempla.
Bhishma begins a story to address the king’s question: he points to Kampilya, where King Brahmadatta had in his inner palace a bird named Pūjanī who lived there for a long time, setting the scene for the forthcoming dialogue.