Shloka 25
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
त्वमेव दैवतै: सर्वे: पृच्छयसे धर्मसंशयात् । अतत्त्वं देवदेवानामाधिपत्ये प्रतिष्ठित:
tvam eva daivataiḥ sarvaiḥ pṛcchyase dharma-saṁśayāt | atattvaṁ deva-devānām ādhipatye pratiṣṭhitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «C’est toi seul que tous les dieux consultent lorsque surgit un doute au sujet du dharma. C’est pourquoi tu es solidement établi dans la souveraineté, au-dessus même des dieux des dieux — toi qui discernes le vrai du non-vrai.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True authority is grounded in clarity about dharma: the one who can resolve moral doubt and distinguish truth from error becomes worthy of supreme leadership, even in a divine sense.
Bhishma praises the addressee as an unsurpassed arbiter of dharma, saying that even the gods approach him to resolve ethical uncertainty; this acclaim frames the ensuing instruction on right conduct and governance.