Shloka 56
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
वेदानां मातरं पश्य मत्स्थां देवीं सरस्वतीम् | ध्रुवं च ज्योतिषां श्रेष्ठ पश्य नारद खेचरम्,“आठ प्रकारके ऐश्वर्य भी यहाँ एक ही जगह साकाररूपसे प्रकट हैं, इन्हें देखो। श्री, लक्ष्मी, कीर्ति, पर्वतोंसहित पृथ्वी तथा वेदमाता सरस्वतीदेवी भी मेरे भीतर विराजमान हैं, उन सबका दर्शन करो। नारद! ये नक्षत्रोंमें श्रेष्ठ आकाशचारी ध्रुव दिखायी दे रहे हैं, इनकी ओर भी दृष्टिपात करो
vedānāṁ mātaraṁ paśya matsthāṁ devīṁ sarasvatīm | dhruvaṁ ca jyotiṣāṁ śreṣṭha paśya nārada khecaram ||
Bhishma disse: “Contempla Sarasvatī, a deusa Mãe dos Vedas, que habita em mim. E contempla também Dhruva—o primeiro entre as luzes celestes—movendo-se pelo céu, ó Nārada.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links rightful authority to two pillars: Sarasvatī (speech, learning, Vedic wisdom) and Dhruva (steadfastness and cosmic stability). Ethically, it suggests that power becomes legitimate and beneficial only when anchored in knowledge, truthfulness, and unwavering commitment to dharma.
Bhishma addresses the sage Nārada and directs him to ‘see’ divine presences—Sarasvatī within him and Dhruva in the heavens—presented as a revelatory vision. The scene emphasizes that the sacred and the cosmic are not abstract: they can be directly apprehended by a qualified seer in moments of spiritual disclosure.