Shloka 54
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
वेदान् यज्ञांश्र शतश: पश्यामृतमथौषधी: । तपांसि नियमांश्वैव यमानपि पृथग्विधान्
vedān yajñāṁś ca śataśaḥ paśyāmṛtam athauṣadhīḥ | tapāṁsi niyamāṁś caiva yamān api pṛthag-vidhān ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Vois en moi les Veda et des centaines de sacrifices ; vois aussi l’amṛta, le nectar d’immortalité, et les herbes guérisseuses. Ici encore sont incarnées les austérités, les disciplines, ainsi que les contraintes (yama) et les observances (niyama) diversement définies.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely spoken or theorized; it is to be internalized and embodied. By presenting the Vedas, sacrifices, amrita, herbs, and ethical disciplines as ‘present’ within him, Bhishma emphasizes that true authority in dharma comes from lived integration of sacred knowledge, ritual responsibility, healing welfare, and self-restraint.
Bhishma, as the revered teacher in the Shanti Parva, describes a visionary or symbolic ‘body-as-cosmos’ perspective: within his person are seen the Vedas, many sacrifices, amrita, medicinal herbs, and the practices of tapas along with yamas and niyamas. The passage elevates him as a locus of dharmic tradition and ethical discipline.