Shloka 1
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
ऑपन-मा_जल बछ। अकाल पजञ्चपञ्चाशदधिकद्धिशततमो< ध्याय: पज्चभूतोंके तथा मन और बुद्धिके गुणोंका विस्तृत वर्णन भीष्म उवाच भूतानां परिसंख्यानं भूय: पुत्र निशामय । द्वैषायनमुखाद् भ्रष्ट श्लाघया परयानघ
bhīṣma uvāca |
bhūtānāṃ parisaṅkhyānaṃ bhūyaḥ putra niśāmaya |
dvaipāyanamukhād bhraṣṭaṃ ślāghayā parayānagha ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Mon fils, écoute encore l’énumération des éléments. Ô toi qui es sans faute, je vais redire—avec empressement et respect—ce qui est sorti de la bouche de Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa), à savoir l’exposé des grands éléments (et de leurs principes). »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the coming instruction as a systematic enumeration of the fundamental elements/principles, grounding his exposition in the authoritative teaching of Vyasa and urging attentive listening—an ethical posture of humility and disciplined inquiry on the path of liberation.
In the Mokshadharma section of the Shanti Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhisthira. Here he introduces (or resumes) a detailed account of the great elements and related inner faculties, explicitly attributing the doctrine to Vyasa and inviting Yudhisthira to hear it again with keen interest.