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,भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! इस विषयमें साध्यगणोंका हंसके साथ जो संवाद हुआ था, वही प्राचीन इतिहास मैं तुम्हें सुना रहा हूँ
bhīṣma uvāca | atra te vartayiṣye 'ham itihāsaṃ purātanam | sādhyānām iha saṃvādaṃ haṃsasya ca yudhiṣṭhira ||
毗湿摩曰：“于此我当为汝宣说一则上古传闻。由提施提罗啊，此事乃萨陀耶诸神（Sādhyas）与天鹅（Haṃsa）之间所成之对话，我今为汝叙之。”
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.