Shloka 41
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
भीष्म उवाच एतदू वै सर्वमाख्यातं मुनिना सुमहात्मना । विदेहराजाय पुरा श्रेयसो<र्थे नराधिप,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! प्राचीनकालमें महात्मा पराशर मुनिने विदेहराज जनकके कल्याणके लिये यह सब उपदेश दिया था
bhīṣma uvāca | etad u vai sarvam ākhyātaṃ muninā sumahātmanā | videharājāya purā śreyaso 'rthe narādhipa |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, segala hal ini dahulu kala telah diajarkan dengan lengkap oleh resi yang berjiwa agung kepada raja Videha, demi kebaikan tertinggi baginda. Maka apa yang aku sampaikan kepadamu ialah ajaran yang telah mantap dan diwariskan, demi kesejahteraan seorang pemerintah.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that the counsel being delivered is not novel opinion but an authoritative, time-tested instruction originally taught by a great sage to King Janaka for his highest welfare (śreyas), underscoring the ethical weight of traditional dharma-teachings for rulers.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira and frames the preceding (or ongoing) discourse as a transmission of ancient wisdom: the sage Parashara once taught the same to Janaka of Videha for his good, and Bhishma now relays it to Yudhishthira.