Shloka 19
Adhyāya 352: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Saṃvāda — Uñchavrata-niścaya
Dialogue and the Resolve to Practice Uñchavrata
कौतूहलं चापि हि मे एकान्तगमनेन ते । नैतत् कारणमल्पं हि भविष्यति पितामह,पितामह! आपके एकान्तमें जानेसे मेरे मनमें बड़ा कौतूहल पैदा हुआ। मैंने सोचा, इसका कोई छोटा-मोटा कारण नहीं होगा
kautūhalaṃ cāpi hi me ekāntagamanena te | naitat kāraṇam alpaṃ hi bhaviṣyati pitāmaha ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Kepergian tuanku menyendiri juga telah membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu yang besar dalam diriku. Aku merasakan hal ini bukanlah kerana sebab yang remeh, wahai Datuk Agung; pasti ada punca yang berat di sebaliknya.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic attitude of attentive inquiry: a significant withdrawal into solitude is presumed to have a serious ethical or spiritual motive, not a trivial impulse. It models respectful questioning before judgment.
Bhīṣma (speaking as ‘Pitāmaha’) addresses an elder as ‘Grandfather’ and remarks that the other person’s retreat into seclusion has aroused his curiosity; he suspects there is an important reason behind it, setting up further explanation or counsel.