Shloka 22
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
तस्मिन् धर्मे स्थिता देवा: सहाचार्यपुरोहिता: । आदित्या वसवो रुद्रा: ससाध्या मरुदश्वचिन:,आचार्य और पुरोहितगणोंसहित देवता, आदित्य, वसुगण, रुद्रगण, साध्यगण, मरुदगण तथा अश्विनीकुमार--ये सभी उस सनातन धर्ममें प्रतिष्ठित हुए
tasmin dharme sthitā devāḥ sahācārya-purohitāḥ | ādityā vasavo rudrāḥ sasādhyā marudaśvinau ||
ภีษมะกล่าวว่า “ในธรรมนั้นเอง เหล่าเทพพร้อมด้วยอาจารย์และปุโรหิตของตนได้ตั้งมั่นอยู่—คือหมู่อาทิตยะ วสุ รุทร สาธยะ มรุต และอัศวินทั้งสอง”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is presented as a timeless, cosmic foundation: even the gods and their guiding authorities (teachers and priests) are ‘established’ in it. This elevates Dharma from a human rule-set to the sustaining order that governs divine and human life alike.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he enumerates major classes of celestial beings and states that all of them abide in that Dharma. The listing functions as testimony: the highest beings uphold the same righteous order being taught to the human listener.