ब्राह्मणपूजायां व्युष्टिः — Vyuṣṭi (Merit-Outcome) of Honoring Brāhmaṇas: Kṛṣṇa and Durvāsā
भीष्म उवाच अहं ते कथयिष्यामि कथामतिमनोहराम् । अस्य विष्णो: पुरा राजन् प्रभावो यो मया श्रुत:
bhīṣma uvāca: ahaṃ te kathayiṣyāmi kathām atimanoharām | asya viṣṇoḥ purā rājan prabhāvo yo mayā śrutaḥ |
பீஷ்மன் உரைத்தான்—ஹே அரசே! மிக மனம்கவரும் ஒரு கதையை உனக்கு நான் சொல்லுவேன். இவ்விஷ்ணுவின் பழங்கால மகிமையை நான் கேட்டறிந்ததையே உனக்கு எடுத்துரைப்பேன்.
भीष्म उवाच
The verse frames dharmic instruction through sacred storytelling: Bhishma emphasizes that the greatness (prabhāva) of Vishnu is known through reliable tradition (‘what I have heard’), inviting the listener to learn ethics and devotion via received accounts rather than mere opinion.
Bhishma begins a new episode, telling the king that he will narrate an especially engaging ancient account concerning Vishnu’s majesty, setting up a longer theological story that follows in the chapter.