Shloka 21
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
चारों आश्रमोंके धर्मोमें जो सारभूत तत्त्व है, वह भी मेरे हृदयमें प्रकाशित हो रहा है। केशव! इस समय मैं सम्पूर्ण राजधर्मोको भी भलीभाँति जानता हूँ
cāroṃ āśramoṃ ke dharmoṃ meṃ jo sārabhūta tattva hai, vah bhī mere hṛdaya meṃ prakāśita ho rahā hai. keśava! is samaya maiṃ sampūrṇa rājadharmoṃ ko bhī bhalībhāṃti jānātā hūṃ.
Bhīṣma disse: “O princípio essencial — a própria quintessência — dos deveres relativos aos quatro āśrama agora resplandece claramente em meu coração. Ó Keśava, neste momento também compreendo, em sua plenitude, todo o dever régio (rājadharma).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms that dharma has an inner ‘essence’ common to the four āśramas, and that true understanding is not merely external rule-following but an inward illumination that also clarifies rājadharma—ethical governance grounded in that same fundamental truth.
During the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma—addressing Kṛṣṇa as Keśava—states that the essential truth of āśrama-dharma has become clear in his heart and that he now comprehends the full scope of royal duty, setting the tone for authoritative teaching on governance and ethics.