Shloka 9
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
वेदिं कमण्डलुं शुभ्रान् मणीनुपानहौ कुशान् | अजिन् दण्डकाष्ठं च ज्वलितं च हुताशनम्
vediṁ kamaṇḍaluṁ śubhrān maṇīn upānahau kuśān | ajin daṇḍakāṣṭhaṁ ca jvalitaṁ ca hutāśanam ||
അവിടെ വേദി, കമണ്ഡലു, തെളിഞ്ഞ മണികൾ, പാദുക, കുശപ്പുല്ല്; കൂടാതെ മൃഗചർമ്മം, ദണ്ഡത്തിനുള്ള കഷ്ഠം, ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന ഹുതാശനൻ—യജ്ഞാഗ്നി—ഇവയൊക്കെയും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the outward and inward markers of dharma: ritual implements and ascetic emblems symbolize purity, restraint, and commitment to sacred duty—suggesting that a righteous life is grounded in disciplined practice and reverence for the sacrificial order.
Bhīṣma is describing a figure (or an idealized practitioner) by enumerating the items associated with Vedic rites and ascetic conduct—altar, kuśa grass, fire, staff, skin, and water-pot—thereby portraying a life oriented toward yajña, tapas, and regulated living.