Shloka 1
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
अफ्--कू- चतुश्नत्वारिशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: वानप्रस्थ और संन्यास-आश्रमके धर्म और महिमाका वर्णन भीष्म उवाच प्रोक्ता गृहस्थवृत्तिस्ते विहिता या मनीषिभि: । तदनन्तरमुक्तं यत् तन्निबोध युधिषछ्िर
bhīṣma uvāca | proktā gṛhastha-vṛttis te vihitā yā manīṣibhiḥ | tad-anantaram uktaṃ yat tan nibodha yudhiṣṭhira (vyāsena kathitaṃ pūrvaṃ sutāya su-mahātmane) ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Yudhishthira, je t’ai exposé la conduite du maître de maison, instituée et pratiquée par les sages. Écoute maintenant avec attention ce qui fut enseigné ensuite : je rapporterai ce que Vyāsa dit jadis à son fils magnanime.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames dharma as a sequential, authoritative tradition: having completed the teaching on householder conduct, he transitions to the next stages (forest-dweller and renunciate) by invoking Vyasa’s earlier instruction to Shuka as a trusted source.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira. This verse serves as a bridge: Bhishma concludes the section on gṛhastha-dharma and announces that he will now recount Vyasa’s teachings to his son, introducing the discussion of vanaprastha and sannyāsa duties and their significance.