Shloka 32
अध्याय २०८ — इन्द्रियनिग्रहः, सत्याहिंसात्मकवाक्, कर्मफलविवेकः
Restraint of the Senses, Non-harming Truthful Speech, and Discernment of Karmic Consequence
आत्रेयश्व वसिष्ठश्न॒ कश्यपश्च महानृषि:
ātreyaś ca vasiṣṭhaś ca kaśyapaś ca mahān ṛṣiḥ
Bhīṣma said: “Atreya, Vasiṣṭha, and Kaśyapa—these were great seers.” Here Bhīṣma invokes revered ṛṣis as authoritative exemplars, grounding the discourse on dharma in the witness and stature of the sages of old.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That dharma is best understood and validated through the authority of eminent ṛṣis; citing great sages strengthens an ethical argument by rooting it in respected tradition.
Bhīṣma, while instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, names renowned seers—Atreya, Vasiṣṭha, and Kaśyapa—either as witnesses, exemplars, or sources of authoritative teaching relevant to the ongoing discussion.