Shloka 40
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
प्रवृत्ती च निवृत्ती च यस्मादेतद् भविष्यति । यजुर्ऋकूसामभिर्जुष्टमरथर्वांगिरसैस्तथा,"प्रवृत्ति और निवृत्तिके विषयमें यह ऋक्, यजुट, साम और अथर्व वेदके मन्त्रोंसे अनुमोदित ग्रन्थके समान प्रमाणभूत होगा
pravṛttī ca nivṛttī ca yasmād etad bhaviṣyati | yajur-ṛk-sāmabhir juṣṭam atharvāṅgirasais tathā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Because this teaching will determine both engagement in action (pravṛtti) and withdrawal from action (nivṛtti), it is to be regarded as authoritative—endorsed and supported by the mantras of the Yajur, Ṛg, and Sāma Vedas, and likewise by those of the Atharva and Aṅgirasa tradition.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames the doctrine of pravṛtti (right engagement in duties) and nivṛtti (renunciant withdrawal) as a decisive guide for conduct, and he grounds its authority in Vedic endorsement—linking ethical guidance to recognized scriptural testimony.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues teaching by asserting that the guidance being presented is not merely personal opinion: it is validated by the major Vedic streams (Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva), thereby strengthening its normative force for the listener.