Shloka 2
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्येडहमितिहासं पुरातनम् । साध्यानामिह संवादं हंसस्य च युधिषछ्िर
bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣye 'ham itihāsaṃ purātanam | sādhyānām iha saṃvādaṃ haṃsasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Aqui te narrarei uma antiga tradição. Ó Yudhiṣṭhira, é o diálogo que, sobre este tema, ocorreu entre os Sādhyas e o Haṃsa, e que agora relatarei.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through an authoritative ancient exemplum (itihāsa): Bhishma signals that dharma is best understood not only through rules but through reflective dialogue and inherited wisdom, here embodied in the discourse between divine Sādhyas and the discerning Haṃsa.
Bhishma begins a new illustrative episode within the Shanti Parva, telling Yudhishthira that he will narrate an old account—specifically a dialogue involving the Sādhyas and the Haṃsa—setting up a didactic conversation meant to clarify the issue under discussion.