Shloka 19
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
वेदोक्ताश्वैव ये धर्मा वेदान्ताधिगताश्रन ये । तान् सर्वान् सम्प्रपश्यामि वरदानात् तवाच्युत
vedoktāś caiva ye dharmā vedāntādhigatāś ca ye | tān sarvān samprapaśyāmi varadānāt tavācyuta ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó Acyuta, todas as formas de dharma ensinadas nos Vedas, e todas as que são realizadas por meio do Vedānta (as Upaniṣads), eu as contemplo diretamente, pelo poder da dádiva que me concedeste.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma has both an external, scriptural dimension (what the Vedas prescribe) and an inner, realized dimension (what Vedānta/Upaniṣads reveal). Bhīṣma emphasizes that true comprehension can become immediate and direct through divine grace, here attributed to Kṛṣṇa as Acyuta.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhīṣma addresses Kṛṣṇa and states that, due to a boon from him, he can directly perceive the entirety of dharma as taught in Vedic injunctions and as known through Vedāntic realization—underscoring the authority of his discourse and the role of Kṛṣṇa’s favor.