Shloka 29
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
आस्यै: सप्तभिरुद्वीर्ण लोकधर्ममनुत्तमम् | मरीचिरुत््यड्विरसौ पुलस्त्य: पुलहः क्रतु: । वसिष्ठ श्न महातेजास्ते हि चित्रशिखण्डिन:
āsyaḥ saptabhir udvīrṇaṁ lokadharmam anuttamam | marīcir atrir aṅgirāḥ pulastyaḥ pulahaḥ kratuḥ | vasiṣṭhaś ca mahātejās te hi citraśikhaṇḍinaḥ |
Bhishma said: “From seven mouths was proclaimed the unsurpassed dharma of the world. Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and the great-splendored Vasistha—these seven renowned seers are known as the Citraśikhaṇḍins. United in purpose upon the great mountain Meru, they expounded and composed an excellent teaching, worthy of reverence and authority like the four Vedas, in which the highest principles of social and moral order were explained.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma that sustains worldly life (lokadharma) is presented as an authoritative, Veda-like teaching, articulated through the consensus and speech of seven eminent sages, emphasizing that ethical and social norms have a venerable, scriptural foundation.
Bhishma identifies seven famous rishis—Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, and Vasistha—calling them Citraśikhaṇḍins, and describes how they jointly expounded a supreme account of lokadharma, traditionally situated on Mount Meru and treated as highly authoritative.