Shloka 38
अत्रिर्वसिष्ठो भगवान् कश्यपश्च महानृषि: । गौतमश्न भरद्वाजो विश्वामित्रो5थ कौशिक:
bhīṣma uvāca |
atrir vasiṣṭho bhagavān kaśyapaś ca mahān ṛṣiḥ |
gautamaś ca bharadvājo viśvāmitro 'tha kauśikaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Atri, the venerable Vasiṣṭha, and the great sage Kaśyapa; also Gautama, Bharadvāja, and Viśvāmitra of the Kuśika lineage—these eminent seers are enumerated as dharma-grounded authorities whose presence and counsel uphold sacred order and right conduct.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical authority of great ṛṣis: dharma is to be understood and upheld through the guidance of venerable seers and established lineages of spiritual knowledge.
Bhishma is enumerating eminent sages—Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa, Gautama, Bharadvāja, and Viśvāmitra (Kuśika)—as part of a larger instructional discourse in the Anuśāsana Parva.