Shloka 21
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
धर्मात्मा तात सर्वज्ञ: पारावर्येण निर्णये । अमर्त्य इव मर्त्य: सन्नेष प्राणानधारयत्,तात! ये धर्मात्मा और सर्वज्ञ हैं। परलोक और इहलोकसम्बन्धी ज्ञानद्वारा सभी आध्यात्मिक प्रश्नोंका निर्णय करनेमें समर्थ हैं तथा मनुष्य होनेपर भी देवताके तुल्य हैं; इन्होंने अभीतक अपने प्राण धारण कर रखे हैं
dharmātmā tāta sarvajñaḥ pārāvaryeṇa nirṇaye | amartya iva martyaḥ sann eṣa prāṇān adhārayat, tāta ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai anakku, insan ini berjiwa dharma dan serba mengetahui. Dengan kebijaksanaannya tentang ‘tebing ini dan tebing sana’—hal dunia ini dan dunia kemudian—dia mampu memutuskan persoalan rohani. Walau manusia, dia laksana yang abadi; dan bahkan kini, wahai anakku, dia masih mengekalkan nafas hayatnya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True authority in ethical and spiritual matters is portrayed as a union of dharma (righteous character) and comprehensive discernment spanning both worldly and otherworldly concerns; such a person, though mortal, is revered as godlike.
Vaiśampāyana, addressing a listener affectionately as “tāta,” praises a particular figure’s righteousness and all-knowing discernment, emphasizing that despite being human he appears like an immortal and has, up to this moment, continued to sustain his life.