Shloka 35
शलश्च शन्तनोर्भोष्मो गङ्गायां धार्मिको महान् / चित्राङ्गदविचित्रौ तु सत्यवत्यान्तु शन्तनोः
śalaśca śantanorbhoṣmo gaṅgāyāṃ dhārmiko mahān / citrāṅgadavicitrau tu satyavatyāntu śantanoḥ
శంతనునికి గంగాదేవి ద్వారా ‘శల’ అనే మహాధార్మికుడు భీష్ముడు జన్మించాడు. సత్యవతీ ద్వారా శంతనునికి చిత్రాంగదుడు, విచిత్రవీర్యుడు జన్మించారు।
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Dhārmika-mahattva: Bhīṣma as exemplar of steadfast duty and vow-bound righteousness within worldly complexity.
Vedantic Theme: Niṣkāma-dharma (duty without personal claim) as a purifier leading toward inner peace (śānti).
Application: Keep commitments, act with integrity under pressure, and prioritize duty/ethics over impulse or advantage.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: sacred river / royal capital context (implied)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.140 (Kuru genealogy context)
FAQs
This verse uses lineage to anchor dharma-teachings in well-known figures—highlighting how righteousness (as in Bhishma) is transmitted, tested, and remembered through family lines.
Indirectly: by presenting Bhishma as ‘dharmika mahān,’ it points to dharma as the guiding principle that shapes one’s destiny, reputation, and spiritual trajectory across life and death.
Choose dharma over short-term gain—your conduct becomes your legacy, just as Bhishma is remembered primarily for steadfast righteousness.