Shloka 42
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ वायुर्भूमिरापो 5ग्निरेव च । सर्वे च नक्षत्रगणा यच्च भूताभिशब्दितम्
sūryācandramasau vāyur bhūmir āpo 'gnir eva ca | sarve ca nakṣatragaṇā yac ca bhūtābhiśabditam ||
Bhīṣma said: “The sun and the moon, the wind, the earth, the waters, and fire; all the hosts of stars—and whatever else is designated as ‘beings’—all these are included within the scope of the principle being taught.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an all-inclusive cosmic inventory—luminaries, elements, stars, and all beings—supporting the Śānti Parva’s broader teaching that ethical life rests on clear knowledge of reality as an ordered, interconnected whole.
In the Śānti Parva instruction sequence, Bhīṣma continues his discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira by enumerating fundamental constituents of the cosmos, as part of a larger explanation of principles that underlie right conduct and peace.