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 |
Disse Bhishma: “Ó rei, tudo isto foi outrora ensinado por inteiro, nos tempos antigos, pelo sábio de grande alma ao rei de Videha, para o seu bem supremo. Assim, o que te relato é uma instrução estabelecida e transmitida, voltada ao bem-estar de um governante.”
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.