Shloka 2
Anuśāsana-parva Adhyāya 112: Dharma as the sole companion; karmic witnesses; rebirth sequences
Bṛhaspati–Yudhiṣṭhira Saṃvāda
भीष्म उवाच सर्वाणि खलु तीर्थानि गुणवन्ति मनीषिण: । यत्तु तीर्थ च शौचं च तन्मे शूणु समाहित:
bhīṣma uvāca sarvāṇi khalu tīrthāni guṇavanti manīṣiṇaḥ | yat tu tīrthaṃ ca śaucaṃ ca tan me śṛṇu samāhitaḥ ||
भीष्म ने कहा— युधिष्ठिर! इस पृथ्वी पर जितने तीर्थ हैं, वे सब मनीषी पुरुषों के लिए गुणकारी हैं; परन्तु उन सब में जो प्रधान तीर्थ और परम शुद्धि है, उसका वर्णन करता हूँ—एकाग्रचित्त होकर सुनो।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms the value of external pilgrimage sites but signals a higher teaching: the foremost ‘tīrtha’ is connected with ‘śauca’—purity understood not merely as ritual cleanliness but as inner ethical purification and disciplined attention.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira and prepares to explain which ‘tīrtha’ is supreme. He asks the listener to be mentally composed, indicating a shift from listing places to teaching a principle about true purity.