Shloka 9
संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
न दुष्करतं दानान्नातिमातरमाश्रय: । त्रैविद्येभ्य: परं नास्ति संन्यास: परम तप:
na duṣkarataṁ dānān nātimātaram āśrayaḥ | traividyebhyaḥ paraṁ nāsti saṁnyāsaḥ paramaḥ tapaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：没有比施舍更艰难的法行；没有比奉事母亲更大的依怙；没有比精通三部吠陀更高的学识；而在诸苦行之中，出家弃舍（saṃnyāsa）乃至上之苦行。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a hierarchy of dharmic excellences: giving is the hardest virtue to practice; serving one’s mother is the greatest refuge; mastery of the three Vedas is the highest learning; and renunciation is the supreme austerity.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war, summarizing key ethical ideals that sustain personal and social order.