Shloka 23
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
भग्वत्र्यज्ञिरस: सिद्धा: काश्यपाश्च तपोधना: । वसिष्ठगौतमागस्त्यास्तथा नारदपर्वतौ
bhīṣma uvāca | bhṛgvatrayaṅgirasaḥ siddhāḥ kāśyapāś ca tapodhanāḥ | vasiṣṭha-gautamāgastyaḥ tathā nārada-parvatau |
Bhishma said: “The perfected sages—Bhrigu, Atri, and the Angirases—along with the ascetic-rich Kashyapas; and also Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, Agastya, the divine seer Nārada, and Parvata—these great ones, living under Brahmā’s command, took up the practice of the eternal Dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the highest exemplars of spiritual life—perfected sages and great ascetics—uphold the eternal Dharma by aligning their conduct with the cosmic ordinance (here, framed as Brahmā’s command), showing that true authority is grounded in disciplined practice and fidelity to Dharma.
Bhīṣma is enumerating revered ṛṣis and ascetic lineages, presenting them as models who, under the divine order, maintained and propagated Sanātana-dharma—supporting his broader instruction in Śānti Parva on righteous conduct and social-spiritual stability.