अहं त्वनेन नागेन्द्र सत्यपूर्व समाहिता । प्रस्थाप्यो मत्सकाशं स सम्प्राप्तो भुजगोत्तम:,नागराज! उन्होंने मुझसे पहले सच्ची प्रतिज्ञा करा ली है कि नागराजके आते ही तुम उन्हें मेरे पास भेज देना
ahaṁ tv anena nāgendra satyapūrvaṁ samāhitāḥ | prasthāpyo matsakāśaṁ sa samprāpto bhujagottamaḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Ó senhor das serpentes, eu já o havia antes vinculado por um voto de verdade. De acordo com esse juramento, ele deveria ser enviado à minha presença; assim, esse primeiro entre as serpentes chegou agora diante de mim.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights satya (truthfulness) expressed as fidelity to a prior pledge: once a promise grounded in truth is taken, one must act consistently with it, even in matters involving powerful beings.
Bhishma addresses a serpent-king, explaining that he had already secured a truthful prior commitment, and therefore the foremost serpent—meant to be sent to Bhishma’s presence—has now duly arrived.