Shloka 4
Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)
इति पृष्टो मया राजन् पराशरशरीरज: । अब्रवीन्निपुणो धर्मे नि:संशयमनुत्तमम्,राजन! मेरे द्वारा इस प्रकार पूछनेपर पराशर-पुत्र धर्मनिपुण व्यासजीने यह संदेहरहित परम उत्तम बात कही--
iti pṛṣṭo mayā rājan parāśaraśarīrajaḥ | abravīn nipuṇo dharme niḥsaṁśayam anuttamam ||
Bhishma said: “O King, when I questioned him in this manner, Vyasa—the son of Parashara, born of his body—who was deeply skilled in dharma, replied with an unsurpassed teaching, free from all doubt.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the reliability of the forthcoming instruction: Vyasa, an acknowledged authority in dharma, gives a supreme answer that is presented as free from doubt—signaling that the teaching should be received as definitive guidance on righteous conduct.
Bhishma frames his discourse by recounting that he once questioned Vyasa. He now reports Vyasa’s response to the king, using Vyasa’s lineage and expertise in dharma to authenticate the teaching that follows.