Shloka 37
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
आदावेव हि तच्छास्त्रमोंकारस्वरपूजितम् । ऋषिभ: श्रावितं यत्र तत्र कारुणिको हासौ
ādāveva hi tacchāstram oṃkārasvarapūjitam | ṛṣibhiḥ śrāvitaṃ yatra tatra kāruṇiko hāsau ||
Bhīṣma said: “From the very beginning, that sacred teaching is honored with the sound of Oṃ. It is the doctrine that the seers themselves have caused to be heard; and wherever it is taught and received in that way, there arises a compassionate, gentle joy.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred instruction (śāstra) is to be approached with reverence, beginning with the sanctifying utterance of Oṃ, and understood as a living oral tradition handed down by ṛṣis; such a mode of learning cultivates a gentle, compassionate disposition rather than harshness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues teaching by praising the sanctity and proper reception of authoritative doctrine: it is traditionally introduced with Oṃ and transmitted through the seers’ recitation, producing a mood of humane, compassionate joy in the listener.