Shloka 116
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
कस्य वै को मतः कामो ब्रूत सत्य॑ द्विजोत्तमा: । तब राजा वसुने हाथ जोड़कर उन सबसे पूछा--'विप्रवरो! आपलोग सच-सच बताइये, आपलोगोंमेंसे किस पक्षको कौन-सा मत अभीष्ट है? कौन अजका अर्थ बकरा मानता है और कौन अन्न?”
kasya vai ko mataḥ kāmo brūta satyaṃ dvijottamāḥ |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Magsabi kayo nang tapat, O pinakamahuhusay na Brahmin—kanino ang alinmang nais? Anong pananaw ang hawak ng bawat isa?” Sa salaysay, ang haring si Vasu ay magalang na nag-anjali at nagtanong sa mga nagtitipong Brahmin na magsalita nang malinaw, walang daya—sino ang tumuturing sa ‘aja’ bilang kambing, at sino ang tumuturing dito bilang butil—upang makapagpasya nang walang pagkiling.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and clarity in counsel: when words admit multiple meanings, ethical decision-making requires openly stating one’s intended interpretation rather than manipulating ambiguity for advantage.
Bhishma recounts a scene where King Vasu, with folded hands, asks the Brahmins to declare honestly which meaning they accept—whether ‘aja’ should be understood as ‘goat’ or as ‘grain/food’—so he can judge or act without bias.