Shloka 109
यच्चेतिहासेषु महत्सु दृष्टं यच्चार्थशास्त्रे नृप शिष्टजुष्टे । ज्ञानं च लोके यदिहास्ति किंचित् सांख्यागतं तच्च महन्महात्मन्
yac caitihāseṣu mahatsu dṛṣṭaṃ yac cārthaśāstre nṛpa śiṣṭajuṣṭe | jñānaṃ ca loke yad ihāsti kiṃcit sāṅkhyāgataṃ tac ca mahan mahātman, nareśa! ||
Bhishma dijo: «Oh rey, cuanto se ha observado en las grandes tradiciones históricas, cuanto se halla en la ciencia del gobierno (Arthaśāstra) practicada y aprobada por los instruidos, y cualquier conocimiento profundo que exista en este mundo: todo ello, oh señor de los hombres de gran alma, se deriva del Sāṅkhya.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma asserts that the most authoritative forms of knowledge—epic-historical wisdom, refined political science, and general worldly insight—ultimately rest on Sāṅkhya’s analytical discernment of fundamental principles. The ethical implication is that right action and good governance require clear understanding of reality’s constituents and the distinction between enduring principles and transient conditions.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma continues his didactic discourse after the war, emphasizing philosophical foundations for dharma and rulership. Here he elevates Sāṅkhya as a root-source of recognized wisdom across traditions, thereby guiding the king toward principled, discriminating judgment in both personal ethics and royal policy.