Shloka 7
Vyaktāvyakta-Viveka and Nivṛtti as Paramā Gati
Manifest–Unmanifest Discrimination and the Supreme Path of Withdrawal
वेदेषु चापि यद् वाक््यं लौकिकं व्यापकं च यत् । एतद् विद्वन् यथातत्त्वं सर्व व्याख्यातुमहसि
vedeṣu cāpi yad vākyaṃ laukikaṃ vyāpakaṃ ca yat | etad vidvan yathātattvaṃ sarvaṃ vyākhyātum arhasi ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Selbst in den Veden gibt es Aussprüche, und ebenso Lehren von weltlicher Tragweite, weithin anwendbar. Doch auch darin scheint Unstimmigkeit zu liegen. Darum, o Gelehrter, sollst du all dies der wahren Wirklichkeit gemäß erklären, damit der Sinn dieser Lehren recht verstanden werde.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That even authoritative sources like the Vedas (and by implication related dharma-teachings) can appear mutually inconsistent, so a wise interpreter must explain them 'yathātattvam'—in a way aligned with the underlying truth and intent, not merely by literal or isolated readings.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhishma frames a problem of interpretive conflict: teachings that are worldly and broadly applicable, even when found in the Vedas, may seem uneven or contradictory. He calls upon the learned interlocutor to provide a coherent, reality-grounded explanation of all such statements.