Shloka 41

अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः

Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच एतदू वै सर्वमाख्यातं मुनिना सुमहात्मना । विदेहराजाय पुरा श्रेयसो<र्थे नराधिप,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! प्राचीनकालमें महात्मा पराशर मुनिने विदेहराज जनकके कल्याणके लिये यह सब उपदेश दिया था

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | etad u vai sarvam ākhyātaṃ muninā sumahātmanā | videharājāya purā śreyaso 'rthe narādhipa |

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—ఓ నరాధిపా! పూర్వకాలంలో మహాత్ముడైన ముని, విదేహరాజు జనకుని పరమ శ్రేయస్సుకోసం ఈ సమస్త ఉపదేశాన్ని సంపూర్ణంగా బోధించాడు।

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

एतत्this

उindeed/also (emphatic particle)

वैindeed (emphatic particle)

सर्वम्all, the whole (of it)

आख्यातम्told, narrated

मुनिनाby the sage

सुमहात्मनाby the very great-souled (one)

विदेहराजायto the king of Videha

पुराformerly, in ancient times

श्रेयसःof welfare/the good

अर्थेfor the sake/purpose

नराधिपO lord of men (king)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Yudhishthira

Parashara (sage)

Janaka (king of Videha)

Videha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma emphasizes that the counsel being delivered is not novel opinion but an authoritative, time-tested instruction originally taught by a great sage to King Janaka for his highest welfare (śreyas), underscoring the ethical weight of traditional dharma-teachings for rulers.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira and frames the preceding (or ongoing) discourse as a transmission of ancient wisdom: the sage Parashara once taught the same to Janaka of Videha for his good, and Bhishma now relays it to Yudhishthira.