Shloka 140

धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)

Devanagari script

सर्वे वेदविदो मुख्या नैमिषारण्यवासिन: । शौनकस्य महासत्र प्राप्ता: सर्वे द्विजोत्तमा:,नैमिषारण्यमें निवास करनेवाले प्रायः सभी ऋषि प्रमुख वेदवेत्ता हैं और सभी श्रेष्ठ द्विज शौनकके इस महायज्ञमें एकत्र हुए हैं

Transliteration

sarve vedavido mukhyā naimiṣāraṇyavāsinaḥ | śaunakasyā mahāsatraṃ prāptāḥ sarve dvijottamāḥ ||

Translation

నైమిషారణ్యంలో నివసించే వేదవేత్తలలో అగ్రగణ్యులైన సమస్త ఋషులు—మరియు సమస్త శ్రేష్ఠ ద్విజులు—శౌనకుని మహాసత్రానికి చేరుకున్నారు.

Word by Word

सर्वेall

वेदविदःknowers of the Veda

मुख्याःchief, foremost

नैमिषारण्यवासिनःdwellers in Naimiṣāraṇya

शौनकस्यof Śaunaka

महासत्रम्the great sacrificial session

प्राप्ताःhaving arrived

सर्वेall

द्विजोत्तमाःbest of the twice-born (Brahmins)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Naimiṣāraṇya

Śaunaka

mahāsatra (great sacrificial session)

Veda (as sacred corpus)

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?

The verse underscores the authority of dharma grounded in Vedic learning and the collective discernment of accomplished sages: major ethical and religious matters are best clarified in the presence of qualified Veda-knowers gathered in a sanctioned ritual setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a revered scene: the foremost Vedic sages residing in the sacred forest of Naimiṣāraṇya have convened for Śaunaka’s great sacrificial session (mahāsatra), indicating a formal, authoritative assembly.