Shloka 4
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
तद् ब्रवीतु भवान् क्षिप्रं कि करोमि किमिच्छसि । प्रणयेन ब्रवीमि त्वां त्वं हि न: शरणागत:
tad bravītu bhavān kṣipraṁ ki karomi kim icchasi | praṇayena bravīmi tvāṁ tvaṁ hi naḥ śaraṇāgataḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Maka katakanlah segera—apakah yang harus aku lakukan, apakah yang engkau inginkan? Aku bertanya dengan penuh kasih, kerana engkau telah datang ke rumah kami sebagai orang yang memohon perlindungan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical duty of receiving a śaraṇāgata (one seeking refuge) with affection and prompt readiness to help—hospitality and protection are treated as obligations of dharma.
Bhishma addresses a visitor who has come seeking shelter, urging him to speak his request quickly and offering service, emphasizing that the guest is under their protection.