Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच सर्वत्र विहितो धर्म: स्वर्ग: सत्यफलं महत्‌ | बहुद्वारस्य धर्मस्य नेहास्ति विफला क्रिया

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca sarvatra vihito dharmaḥ svargaḥ satyaphalaṃ mahat | bahudvārasya dharmasya nehāsti viphalā kriyā ||

Translation

قال بهيشما: «أيها الملك، إن الدهرما مفروضة في كل موضع (في كل آشراما). فهي تقود إلى السماء، وتمنح أيضًا الثمرة العظمى للحق—أي التحرّر. ولأن للدهرما أبوابًا كثيرة—كالقربان (اليَجْنَة)، والصدقة، والزهد والتقشّف—فلا عمل يُؤدَّى وفق الدهرما في هذا العالم يكون عقيمًا.»

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', 'sarvatra': 'everywhere

• in all contexts', 'vihitaḥ': 'prescribed

• enjoined by rule/scripture', 'dharmaḥ': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'svargaḥ': 'heaven

• celestial attainment', 'satya': 'truth

• truthfulness', 'phalam': 'fruit

• result', 'mahat': 'great

• exalted', 'bahu-dvārasya': 'having many doors/paths

• accessible through many means', 'nehāsti': 'here (in this world) there is not', 'viphalā': 'fruitless

• ineffective', 'kriyā': 'act

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (Rajān—Yudhishthira implied)
• Svarga (heaven)
• Dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is universally applicable and yields assured results: it can grant heavenly merit and, through truth and right conduct, the highest fruit of liberation. Because dharma can be pursued through multiple disciplines (e.g., sacrifice, charity, austerity), sincere dharmic action never goes to waste.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma continues advising the king (Yudhishthira) on righteous living after the war, emphasizing that dharma is prescribed for all and that every genuine dharmic practice produces meaningful spiritual and ethical outcomes.