Shloka 1263
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
यानि श्रुतानि सर्वाणि तेषां सारोड्यमुद्धृत: । राजन! तुमने मुझसे जो अन्य सैकड़ों उपाख्यान सुने हैं, उन सबका यह सारभाग निकालकर तुम्हारे सामने रखा गया है
yāni śrutāni sarvāṇi teṣāṃ sāro ’yam uddhṛtaḥ | rājan, tvayā mayi śrutāni yāny anyāni śataśa upākhyānāni teṣāṃ sarabhāgaṃ niṣkṛṣya tavāgre nidhāpitam iti ||
यानि श्रुतानि सर्वाणि तेषां सारोऽयमुद्धृतः । राजन्, मया ते यानि शतान्युपाख्यानान्यन्यानि कथितानि, तेषां सर्वेषां सारभागं निष्कृष्य तव पुरतः स्थापितम् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that extensive instruction—many stories and teachings—should culminate in a distilled ‘essence’ (sāra). The ethical point is to grasp the central dharmic purport rather than remain lost in sheer quantity of narratives.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma addresses the king and signals a transition or conclusion: after recounting numerous illustrative tales (upākhyānas), he now presents their extracted summary as the key takeaway for the ruler’s guidance.