Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 4
Guru’s Instruction on Dream, Mind, Guṇas, and Knowing Brahman
Svapna–Manas–Guṇa–Brahma-vicāra
भीष्म उवाच पुराहं मृगयां यातो मार्कण्डेयाश्रमे स्थित: । तत्रापश्यं मुनिगणान् समासीनान् सहस्रश:
bhīṣma uvāca purāhaṁ mṛgayāṁ yāto mārkaṇḍeyāśrame sthitaḥ | tatrāpaśyaṁ munigaṇān samāsīnān sahasraśaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, jadis je partis à la chasse et je séjournai à l’ermitage du sage Mārkaṇḍeya. Là, je vis des milliers de rishis assis ensemble.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets an ethical-narrative frame: a warrior-elder (Bhishma) recalls encountering a vast assembly of sages at a renowned hermitage, signaling that the forthcoming instruction is grounded in ascetic authority and dharma rather than mere royal power.
Bhishma begins a recollection addressed to the king: during a past hunting excursion he stayed at Markandeya’s hermitage and witnessed thousands of sages seated there, introducing the setting for the discourse that follows.