Shloka 30
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
सप्त प्रकृतयो होतास्तथा स्वायम्भुवोडष्टम: । एताभिर्धार्यते लोकस्ताभ्य: शास्त्र विनि:सृतम्
saptaprakṛtayo hotās tathā svāyambhuvo ’ṣṭamaḥ | etābhir dhāryate lokas tābhyaḥ śāstra-viniḥsṛtam ||
毗湿摩说道：“有七种本原要素（prakṛti），第八为自生者（Svāyambhuva，即梵天 Brahmā）。世界由此得以维系，权威的教典（śāstra）亦由此流出。这些圣仙一心专注，自制诸根，笃行戒制，通晓过去、未来与现在，并坚定安住于真实与法（dharma）之中。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The cosmos is sustained by fundamental principles (seven prakṛtis) together with the self-born creator (Svāyambhuva/Brahmā), and normative knowledge (śāstra) is presented as emanating from these foundational sources; true sages embody restraint, self-mastery, and commitment to truth and dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues a doctrinal exposition, grounding ethical and scriptural authority in a cosmological framework and describing the qualities of the rishis who uphold and transmit that order.