Shloka 16
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
कच्चिजज्ञानानि सर्वाणि प्रतिभान्ति च तेडनघ । न ग्लायते च हृदयं न च ते व्याकुलं मनः,निष्पाप भीष्म! क्या आपके अन्तःकरणमें सब प्रकारके ज्ञान प्रकाशित हो रहे हैं? आपके हृदयमें ग्लानि तो नहीं है? आपका मन व्याकुल तो नहीं हो रहा है?
kaccij jñānāni sarvāṇi pratibhānti ca te 'nagha | na glāyate ca hṛdayaṁ na ca te vyākulaṁ manaḥ ||
Vāyu berkata: “Wahai yang tidak berdosa, adakah segala bentuk pengetahuan bersinar jelas dalam dirimu? Adakah hatimu bebas daripada dukacita, dan adakah fikiranmu tidak menjadi gelisah?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic concern for inner fitness: true wisdom is not merely possessed but must remain luminous (pratibhānti) and accompanied by emotional steadiness—no dejection in the heart and no agitation in the mind—especially when one is about to teach or uphold dharma after immense suffering.
Vāyudeva addresses Bhīṣma with care, asking whether his knowledge is clear and whether his inner state is stable. The question frames Bhīṣma’s condition in the Shānti Parva context, where the aftermath of war demands calm, lucid instruction and moral reflection.