Shloka 49
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
एतद्ि युष्मच्छस्त्राणां शास्त्रमुत्तमसंज्ञितम् । एतदर्थ्य च धर्म्य च रहस्यं चैतदुत्तमम्
etad hi yuṣmacchastrāṇāṃ śāstram uttamasaṃjñitam | etad arthyaṃ ca dharmyaṃ ca rahasyaṃ caitad uttamam ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang kasulatang ito na binuo ninyo ay kikilalaning pinakadakila sa inyong mga aral na may kapangyarihan. Ito’y sabay na aklat para sa kapakinabangang pangkabuhayan (artha), tagapagtindig ng katuwiran (dharma), at tagapagdala ng pinakamataas na lihim sa kalooban—isang napakahusay na buod ng wastong pamumuhay at marunong na pamamahala.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma praises the addressed teaching as a supreme śāstra because it integrates three aims: artha (practical welfare and statecraft), dharma (moral righteousness), and rahasya (the deeper inner principle). The verse highlights that the best instruction is comprehensive—useful, ethical, and spiritually insightful.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhīṣma continues his didactic discourse and commends a body of instruction attributed to the listener(s), declaring it preeminent among their teachings and emphasizing its value as a dharma- and artha-oriented text containing an excellent ‘secret’ doctrine.