Pātra-Lakṣaṇa and Niścita-Dharma
Marks of a Worthy Recipient and Stable Criteria of Dharma
ऋषिणा प्रसादिता चास्मि तव हेतोर्दविजर्षभ | तस्य सम्माननार्थ मे त्वयि वाक््यं प्रभाषितम्
ṛṣiṇā prasāditā cāsmi tava hetor dvijarṣabha | tasya sammānanārthaṃ me tvayi vākyaṃ prabhāṣitam ||
اے برہمنوں میں افضل! تمہاری خاطر ہی اُس رشی نے مجھ پر عنایت فرمائی اور خوشنودی ظاہر کی؛ اسی کے احترام میں میں نے تم سے یہ کلمات کہے ہیں۔
भीष्म उवाच
The verse emphasizes gratitude and proper honoring of spiritual authority: Bhishma frames his counsel as offered not for self-display but to respect the sage whose favor was gained, showing that ethical speech should be rooted in reverence and right intention.
Bhishma addresses a Brahmin interlocutor, explaining that a sage had been pleased on the Brahmin’s account; consequently, Bhishma has spoken his words to the Brahmin specifically as an act of honoring that sage.