Shloka 5
इन्द्र–बलि संवादः
The Dialogue of Indra and Bali on Fortune, Humility, and Restraint
अत्रोच्यते यथा होतद् वेद योगेश्वरो हरि: । तथैतदुपपन्नार्थ वर्णयन्ति महर्षय:
atrocyate yathā hotad veda yogeśvaro hariḥ | tathaitad upapannārthaṃ varṇayanti maharṣayaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Nun wird die feststehende Lehre dargelegt. Diese Wirklichkeit gleicht einer Traumwelt; nur Hari, der Herr des Yoga, kennt sie genau, wie sie ist. Doch die großen Rishis beschreiben sie in eben der Weise, wie Hari sie kennt—und ihre Darstellung ist stimmig und wohlbegründet.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that ultimate reality is subtle—comparable to a dream-world—and perfectly known by Hari, the Lord of Yoga. Yet the sages’ teachings align with that divine knowledge and are presented as rationally defensible (upapanna), establishing both the profundity of the subject and the credibility of the rishis’ exposition.
In the Shanti Parva instruction-setting, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhishthira by introducing a doctrinal point: the nature of reality and its correct understanding. He frames the coming explanation as grounded in the knowledge of Hari and corroborated by the great seers.