Shloka 24
अध्याय ३२३ — श्वेतद्वीपगमनम्, यज्ञभाग-विवादः, एकान्तिभक्त्या नारायणदर्शन-नियमः (Śvetadvīpa Journey; Dispute over Sacrificial Share; Rule of Nārāyaṇa-vision through Single-minded Devotion)
मार्कण्डेयो हि भगवानेतदाख्यातवान् मम । स देवचरितानीह कथयामास मे सदा
mārkaṇḍeyo hi bhagavān etad ākhyātavān mama | sa devacaritānīha kathayāmāsa me sadā ||
भीष्म बोले—यह वृत्तान्त मुझे स्वयं भगवान् मार्कण्डेय ने बताया था; वे यहाँ मुझे सदा देवताओं के चरित्र और कथाएँ सुनाया करते थे।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the authority of dharmic knowledge transmitted through revered sages: sacred understanding is preserved and validated by trustworthy narrators (ṛṣis) who hand down divine and ethical exemplars through continuous teaching.
Bhīṣma identifies his source for the account: the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. He notes that Mārkaṇḍeya repeatedly narrated to him stories of the gods, establishing the background and credibility for the discourse that follows.