Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
त्वं तु प्राकृतया बुद्धया पुरन्दर विकत्थसे । यदाहमिव भावी स्यास्तदा नैव॑ वदिष्यसि
tvaṃ tu prākṛtayā buddhyā purandara vikatthase | yadāham iva bhāvī syās tadā naiva vadiṣyasi ||
Nhưng ngươi, hỡi Purandara, lại khoe khoang dưới sự chi phối của một trí hiểu thô thiển, thế tục. Khi ngươi rơi vào cảnh ngộ như ta, ngươi sẽ chẳng còn nói như thế nữa.
(भीष्म उवाच
The verse warns against pride born of superficial or ‘worldly’ understanding. True judgment arises from lived experience and empathy; when one faces the same hardship, boastful speech naturally falls away.
Bhishma addresses Indra (Purandara), rebuking him for speaking boastfully from a limited perspective. Bhishma implies that Indra’s tone would change if he were to undergo the same condition or suffering that Bhishma has endured.