Shloka 2
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
भीष्म उवाच अत्र ते वर्तयिष्येडहमितिहासं पुरातनम् । साध्यानामिह संवादं हंसस्य च युधिषछ्िर
bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣye 'ham itihāsaṃ purātanam | sādhyānām iha saṃvādaṃ haṃsasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Ở đây ta sẽ kể cho con một truyền tích cổ xưa. Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, đó là cuộc đối thoại đã diễn ra trong việc này giữa các Sādhya và Haṃsa; nay ta sẽ thuật lại.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through an authoritative ancient exemplum (itihāsa): Bhishma signals that dharma is best understood not only through rules but through reflective dialogue and inherited wisdom, here embodied in the discourse between divine Sādhyas and the discerning Haṃsa.
Bhishma begins a new illustrative episode within the Shanti Parva, telling Yudhishthira that he will narrate an old account—specifically a dialogue involving the Sādhyas and the Haṃsa—setting up a didactic conversation meant to clarify the issue under discussion.