Shloka 42
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
भविता न त्वमत्यन्तं शुकत्वे नष्टवागिति । आवृत्तजिद्दस्य सतो वाक््यं कान््तं भविष्यति
bhavitā na tvam atyantaṃ śukatve naṣṭavāg iti | āvṛttajiddasya sato vākyaṃ kāntaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Ngươi sẽ không mãi mãi ở trong thân phận vẹt, mất lời nói. Khi kẻ đã tự thắng mình và quay lưng khỏi điều sai trái thật sự có đức hạnh, lời của người ấy sẽ trở nên êm dịu, đáng được lắng nghe.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral transformation is possible: a degraded condition (symbolized by ‘parrot-hood’ and loss of speech) is not permanent. When one turns back from wrongdoing and becomes truly virtuous, one’s speech becomes refined, beneficial, and pleasing—suggesting that ethical self-conquest purifies expression.
Bhīṣma reassures the addressed person that their current impaired state—being like a parrot and deprived of proper speech—will not last. He links the restoration and beauty of speech to inner victory: desisting from harmful conduct and becoming ‘sat’ (a good person) makes one’s words admirable.