Shloka 36
Bhīṣma on the Śara-Śayyā: Yudhiṣṭhira and Kṛṣṇa Approach the Eldest for Śānti
इतिहासपुराणार्था: कार्त्स्न्येन विदितास्तव | धर्मशास्त्रं च सकल॑ नित्यं मनसि ते स्थितम्,“इतिहास और पुराणोंके अर्थ आपको पूर्णरूपसे ज्ञात हैं। सारा धर्मशास्त्र सदा आपके मनमें स्थित है
itihāsapurāṇārthāḥ kārtsnyena viditās tava | dharmaśāstraṃ ca sakalaṃ nityaṃ manasi te sthitam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “You know, in their entirety, the meanings of the Itihāsas and the Purāṇas. And the whole body of Dharmaśāstra ever abides firmly in your mind.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True authority in ethical deliberation rests on comprehensive understanding of traditional sources—Itihāsa and Purāṇa—and on an internalized grasp of Dharmaśāstra. The verse praises not mere memorization but steady, ever-present discernment of dharma in the mind.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana commends the addressee’s learning and fitness to speak on dharma, stating that the purports of epic and purāṇic lore are fully known to him and that the entire Dharmaśāstra is constantly established in his mind—setting the stage for authoritative instruction or counsel.