Shloka 16
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
कच्चिजज्ञानानि सर्वाणि प्रतिभान्ति च तेडनघ । न ग्लायते च हृदयं न च ते व्याकुलं मनः
kaccij jñānāni sarvāṇi pratibhānti ca te 'nagha | na glāyate ca hṛdayaṁ na ca te vyākulaṁ manaḥ ||
Vāyu nói: “Ôi bậc vô tội, mọi dạng tri thức có đang rạng ngời rõ rệt trong nội tâm ngài chăng? Lòng ngài có thoát khỏi u sầu không? Và tâm trí ngài có còn xao động chăng?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic concern for inner fitness: true wisdom is not merely possessed but must remain luminous (pratibhānti) and accompanied by emotional steadiness—no dejection in the heart and no agitation in the mind—especially when one is about to teach or uphold dharma after immense suffering.
Vāyudeva addresses Bhīṣma with care, asking whether his knowledge is clear and whether his inner state is stable. The question frames Bhīṣma’s condition in the Shānti Parva context, where the aftermath of war demands calm, lucid instruction and moral reflection.