Shloka 2
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । येन वृत्तेन धर्मज्ञ: स जगाम महत्सुखम्,भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन्! इस विषयमें विज्ञ पुरुष इस प्राचीन इतिहासका उदाहरण दिया करते हैं, जिसके आचरणसे धर्मज्ञ राजा जनक महान् सुख (मोक्ष) को प्राप्त हुए थे
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | yena vṛttena dharmajñaḥ sa jagāma mahatsukham ||
Bhishma said: “Here too, O king, the learned cite an ancient historical example. By following that course of conduct, the dharma-knowing king Janaka attained great bliss—liberation.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames moral instruction through precedent: an ancient exemplum is introduced to show that right conduct (vṛtta) grounded in dharma can lead not merely to worldly good but to the highest good—mahatsukha understood as mokṣa.
Bhishma, addressing the king (Yudhishthira in the Shanti Parva setting), announces that he will cite an old traditional story. He signals that the forthcoming account concerns King Janaka and the specific conduct by which Janaka attained supreme bliss.