Shloka 2
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । वसिष्ठस्य च संवादं ब्रह्मणश्न॒ युधिष्ठिर,भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! इस विषयमें वसिष्ठ और ब्रह्माजीके संवादरूप एक प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहण दिया जाता है
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | vasiṣṭhasya ca saṁvādaṁ brahmaṇaś ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, về điều này cũng có một điển lệ cổ xưa được dẫn ra—một chuyện tích thiêng liêng dưới hình thức cuộc đối thoại giữa Vasiṣṭha và Brahmā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames his instruction on dharma by appealing to authoritative precedent: an ancient itihāsa presented as a dialogue between revered figures (Vasiṣṭha and Brahmā), implying that ethical guidance should be grounded in time-tested wisdom.
Bhishma, addressing Yudhishthira, introduces an illustrative story. He signals that the next teaching will be supported by an old account—specifically, a discourse between the sage Vasiṣṭha and the creator-god Brahmā.