Shloka 8
दानपात्रापात्र-निर्णयः / Determining Worthy Gifts, Recipients, and Permissible Food
जनयामास यं देवी दिव्या त्रिपथगा नदी । साक्षाद् ददर्श यो देवान् सर्वानिन्द्रपुरोगमान्
janayāmāsa yaṃ devī divyā tripathagā nadī | sākṣād dadarśa yo devān sarvān indrapurogāmān |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “He whom the divine goddess—Tripathagā, the celestial river—brought forth; he who beheld with his own eyes all the gods led by Indra—let us go to that mighty Bhīṣma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes Bhīṣma’s credibility as a teacher of dharma and statecraft by highlighting two sources of authority: sacred origin (born of the divine Gaṅgā) and direct spiritual witness (having seen the gods led by Indra).
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Bhīṣma in exalted terms—born of Tripathagā (Gaṅgā) and a direct seer of the gods—preparing the listener for approaching him as the principal instructor in the Śānti Parva’s teachings on dharma and governance.