Shloka 46
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
अष्टादशपुराणानि धर्मशास्त्राणि सर्वश: । वेदा: साड्रास्तथैकत्र भारतं चैकत: स्थितम्
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇāni dharmaśāstrāṇi sarvaśaḥ | vedāḥ sāṅgās tathaikatra bhārataṃ caikataḥ sthitam ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Di satu sisi berdiri delapan belas Purāṇa, seluruh Dharmaśāstra, dan keempat Veda beserta enam disiplin penunjangnya; di sisi lain berdiri Mahābhārata seorang diri. Bila ditimbang demikian, Mahābhārata saja setara dengan semuanya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the comprehensive authority of the Mahābhārata: it is presented as ethically and doctrinally weighty enough to stand equal to the combined corpus of the Purāṇas, Dharmaśāstras, and the Vedas with their auxiliary disciplines—implying that dharma can be studied in a complete, integrated way through the Mahābhārata.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration during the Svargārohaṇa section, a traditional proclamation is cited that elevates the Mahābhārata’s status among sacred texts, framing it as a singular compendium of teachings comparable to the major scriptural collections.