Shloka 22
Gautama’s Flight, the Enchanted Grove, and the Arrival of Rājadharma
Nāḍījaṅgha
एते त्रयोदशाकारा: पृथक् सत्यैकलक्षणा: । भजन्ते सत्यमेवेह बृंहयन्ते च भारत,ये पृथक्-पृथक् तेरह रूपोंमें बताये हुए धर्म एकमात्र सत्यको ही लक्षित करानेवाले हैं। ये सत्यका ही आश्रय लेते और उसीकी वृद्धि एवं पुष्टि करते हैं
ete trayodaśākārāḥ pṛthak satyaikalakṣaṇāḥ | bhajante satyam eveha bṛṃhayante ca bhārata ||
Bhishma said: “These thirteen distinct forms (of dharma), though described separately, all bear a single defining mark—Truth. Here in this world they take refuge in Truth alone, and, O Bharata, they strengthen and affirm Truth itself.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the many enumerated duties and virtues (dharma in its various forms) ultimately converge on one defining criterion: satya (truth). True dharma relies on truth and, in practice, reinforces and enlarges truth in the world.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira after the war, Bhīṣma continues his ethical teaching, explaining that the different categories of dharma previously listed are not competing paths but distinct expressions of a single foundation—Truth.