Shloka 1216
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
मेरौ समागता देवा: श्राविताश्रेदमुत्तमम् । तात! सूर्यदेवका अनुसरण करनेवाले उन महात्मा ऋषियोंने मेरुपर्वतपर आये हुए देवताओंको वह उत्तम माहात्म्य सुनाया था
Merau samāgatā devāḥ śrāvitāś cedaṁ uttamam | tāta! sūryadevakā anusaraṇa karanevāle un mahātmā ṛṣiyoṁ ne meruparvata para āye hue devatāoṁ ko vah uttama māhātmya sunāyā thā |
Bhīṣma said: “On Mount Meru the gods had assembled. There, those great-souled seers—devoted followers of the Sun-god—recited to the gods who had come to Meru an excellent sacred account of greatness (māhātmya), meant to inspire reverence and right conduct.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That sacred narratives (māhātmya) transmitted by realized sages—especially those grounded in devotion—serve to awaken reverence and guide beings toward dharma by presenting exemplary greatness worthy of emulation.
Bhīṣma describes a scene on Mount Meru where the gods gather, and great sages devoted to Sūrya recite to them an ‘excellent māhātmya’—a revered account praising a sacred greatness—so the assembled devas may hear and be instructed.