Shloka 109
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
यच्चेतिहासेषु महत्सु दृष्टं यच्चार्थशास्त्रे नृप शिष्टजुष्टे । ज्ञानं च लोके यदिहास्ति किंचित् सांख्यागतं तच्च महन्महात्मन्,नरेश! महात्मन! बड़े-बड़े इतिहासोंमें, सत्पुरुषों-द्वारा सेवित अर्थशास्त्रमें तथा इस संसारमें जो कुछ भी महान् ज्ञान देखा गया है, वह सब सांख्यसे ही प्राप्त हुआ है
yac caitihāseṣu mahatsu dṛṣṭaṃ yac cārthaśāstre nṛpa śiṣṭajuṣṭe | jñānaṃ ca loke yad ihāsti kiṃcit sāṅkhyāgataṃ tac ca mahan mahātman, nareśa! ||
Bhishma said: “O king, whatever has been observed in the great historical traditions, whatever is found in statecraft that is practiced and approved by the learned, and whatever profound knowledge exists anywhere in this world—all of it, O great-souled lord of men, is derived from Sāṅkhya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma asserts that the most authoritative forms of knowledge—epic-historical wisdom, refined political science, and general worldly insight—ultimately rest on Sāṅkhya’s analytical discernment of fundamental principles. The ethical implication is that right action and good governance require clear understanding of reality’s constituents and the distinction between enduring principles and transient conditions.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma continues his didactic discourse after the war, emphasizing philosophical foundations for dharma and rulership. Here he elevates Sāṅkhya as a root-source of recognized wisdom across traditions, thereby guiding the king toward principled, discriminating judgment in both personal ethics and royal policy.