Shloka 35
Bhaṅgāśvanopākhyāna — On comparative affection in strī–puruṣa union (भङ्गाश्वनोपाख्यानम्)
समुत्पन्नं स्वरूपाणां पुत्राणां ब्राह्मणोत्तम | कदाचिन्मृगयां यात उद्भ्रान्तो गहने वने
samūtpannaṃ svarūpāṇāṃ putrāṇāṃ brāhmaṇottama | kadācin mṛgayāṃ yāta udbhānto gahane vane |
“அந்தணர்களில் சிறந்தவரே, என் புதல்வர்கள் என் உருவைப் போலவே பிறந்தவர்கள். ஒருமுறை வேட்டைக்குச் சென்று, அடர்ந்த காட்டில் மயங்கி வழி தவறினேன்.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse initiates an illustrative story: even a powerful ruler, driven by worldly pursuits like hunting and attachment to progeny, can fall into confusion. It prepares an ethical lesson that dharma requires restraint, clarity, and vigilance against heedlessness (pramāda).
Bhīṣma begins recounting an episode: he had many sons resembling him, and on one occasion he went hunting and became disoriented, wandering in a dense forest—an opening that leads into the subsequent events and their moral implications.