Shloka 32

एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline

Devanagari script

इदं श्रेय इदं ब्रह्म इदं हितमनुत्तमम्‌ । लोकान्‌ संचिन्त्य मनसा तत: शास्त्र प्रचक्रिरे

Transliteration

idam śreya idam brahma idam hitam anuttamam | lokān sañcintya manasā tataḥ śāstraṃ pracakrire ||

Translation

"This is the good; this is Brahman; this is the unsurpassed welfare." Reflecting in their minds upon the worlds, the sages then composed the śāstras—discerning which disciplines would bring the common good, which would lead to realization of the Supreme, and which would secure the highest benefit for worldly life.

Word by Word

• {'idam': 'this', 'śreyaḥ (śreya)': 'the good

• the highest good', 'brahma': 'Brahman

• ultimate reality', 'hitam': 'welfare

• what is salutary', 'anuttamam': 'unsurpassed

• supreme', 'lokān': 'the worlds

• people/society (collectively)', 'sañcintya': 'having reflected upon

• having deliberated', 'manasā': 'with the mind

• mentally', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'śāstram': 'treatise

• normative scripture', 'pracakrire': 'they set in motion

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• lokāḥ (the worlds/people)
• śāstra (authoritative teachings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Śāstra is presented as a deliberate, welfare-oriented human (and sage) enterprise: teachings are formulated after reflecting on society’s needs—distinguishing (1) what brings true good (śreyas), (2) what leads to realization of Brahman, and (3) what secures the highest practical welfare (hita) for the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, explains how authoritative teachings arose: sages contemplated the condition of the worlds and then composed śāstras to guide people toward social well-being and ultimate liberation.