Shloka 114
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
पितामहो<5पि भगवांस्तस्माद् देवादनन्तर:
pitāmaho 'pi bhagavāṁs tasmād devād anantaraḥ
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا—پوجنیہ پِتامہ برہما بھی، اگرچہ الٰہی ہیں، مگر مرتبے میں اُس دیوتا کے فوراً بعد ہی آتے ہیں۔
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line emphasizes ethical reverence and graded excellence: even a supremely venerable elder like Bhīṣma is spoken of in relation to a higher divine standard, suggesting that dharmic evaluation recognizes both human greatness and a transcendent benchmark.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking about relative rank or precedence—placing Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma) immediately after a particular deity—within a broader discussion of dharma, authority, and exemplary figures.