Shloka 2
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । येन वृत्तेन धर्मज्ञ: स जगाम महत्सुखम्
bhīṣma uvāca | atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam | yena vṛttena dharmajñaḥ sa jagāma mahatsukham ||
Bhīṣma ກ່າວວ່າ: “ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ! ໃນເລື່ອງນີ້ ບັນດານັກປັນຍາຍັງອ້າງເຖິງປະຫວັດເກົ່າແກ່ເປັນຕົວຢ່າງ. ໂດຍດໍາເນີນຕາມວິຖີນັ້ນ ກະສັດຈະນະກະ ຜູ້ຮູ້ທຳມະ ໄດ້ບັນລຸຄວາມສຸກອັນຍິ່ງ—ຄືການຫຼຸດພົ້ນ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames moral instruction through precedent: an ancient exemplum is introduced to show that right conduct (vṛtta) grounded in dharma can lead not merely to worldly good but to the highest good—mahatsukha understood as mokṣa.
Bhishma, addressing the king (Yudhishthira in the Shanti Parva setting), announces that he will cite an old traditional story. He signals that the forthcoming account concerns King Janaka and the specific conduct by which Janaka attained supreme bliss.