Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 8
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । यथा सेनजित विप्र: कश्रिदेत्याब्रवीत् सुहत्ू
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam | yathā senajit vipraḥ kaścid etyābravīt suhṛt ||
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । यथा सेनजितं विप्रः कश्चिदेत्याब्रवीत् सुहृत् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma signals that ethical instruction is best grounded in precedent: an ancient itihasa is introduced to clarify the dharmic point through a concrete example of a well-wisher advising a king.
Bhishma begins an illustrative story, saying that learned people recount an old historical episode in which a Brahmin, acting as a friend and benefactor, approaches King Senajit and offers guidance on the issue under discussion.