Shloka 2
Anuśāsana-parva Adhyāya 112: Dharma as the sole companion; karmic witnesses; rebirth sequences
Bṛhaspati–Yudhiṣṭhira Saṃvāda
भीष्म उवाच सर्वाणि खलु तीर्थानि गुणवन्ति मनीषिण: । यत्तु तीर्थ च शौचं च तन्मे शूणु समाहित:
bhīṣma uvāca sarvāṇi khalu tīrthāni guṇavanti manīṣiṇaḥ | yat tu tīrthaṃ ca śaucaṃ ca tan me śṛṇu samāhitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma đáp: “Quả thật mọi tīrtha đều đem lợi ích cho bậc trí. Nhưng nay hãy nghe ta—hãy lắng nghe với tâm chuyên nhất—về tīrtha thật sự tối thượng và về sự thanh tịnh cao nhất.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms the value of external pilgrimage sites but signals a higher teaching: the foremost ‘tīrtha’ is connected with ‘śauca’—purity understood not merely as ritual cleanliness but as inner ethical purification and disciplined attention.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira and prepares to explain which ‘tīrtha’ is supreme. He asks the listener to be mentally composed, indicating a shift from listing places to teaching a principle about true purity.