Shloka 123
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
(एवं परम्पराख्यातमिदं शान्तनुमाश्रितम् ।) मम चापि पिता तात कथयामास शान्तनुः,इस प्रकार परम्परया प्राप्त होकर यह उत्तम ज्ञान महाराज शान्तनुको मिला। तात! फिर पिता शान्तनुने मुझे इसका उपदेश दिया
evaṃ paramparākhyātam idaṃ śāntanum āśritam | mama cāpi pitā tāta kathayāmāsa śāntanuḥ ||
Vì thế, giáo huấn này—được truyền nối qua một dòng truyền thừa không gián đoạn—đã được gìn giữ nơi vua Śāntanu. Và, hỡi người thân yêu, chính phụ vương ta, vua Śāntanu, lại kể dạy điều ấy cho ta—để trí tuệ ấy được neo vững trong chính thống và được truyền đi không sai lệch.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes paramparā—authoritative knowledge is safeguarded by being transmitted through a recognized lineage. Its ethical point is that dharma-teachings gain reliability and stability when passed on responsibly from teacher to student, rather than being invented or altered arbitrarily.
Bhīṣma, speaking in the Śānti Parva, explains the provenance of the instruction he is conveying: it came down through tradition, reached King Śāntanu, and Śāntanu then taught it directly to Bhīṣma. This frames Bhīṣma’s discourse as inherited, not self-made.