Shloka 2
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
भीष्म उवाच शृणु पार्थ यथावृत्तमितिहासं पुरातनम् । गृध्रजम्बुकसंवादं यो वृत्तो नैमिषे पुरा
bhīṣma uvāca: śṛṇu pārtha yathāvṛttam itihāsaṃ purātanam | gṛdhra-jambuka-saṃvādaṃ yo vṛtto naimiṣe purā ||
Bhishma disse: “Ouve, ó Partha, um relato antigo e verdadeiro, exatamente como aconteceu. Há muito tempo, em Naimisha, deu-se um diálogo entre um abutre e um chacal — escuta essa velha narrativa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the coming instruction as a yathāvṛtta itihāsa—an account ‘as it truly happened’—signaling that ethical guidance is to be drawn from a concrete example (a dialogue between animals) rather than abstract theory.
Bhishma addresses Arjuna and introduces an old episode set in Naimiṣa: a conversation between a vulture and a jackal. This verse functions as the opening invitation to hear that instructive dialogue.