Shloka 337
Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युथिष्ठिर! श्वेतद्वीपके निवासी पुरुष जैसे हैं, उनकी सारी स्थिति मैंने तुमसे कह सुनायी। अब देवर्षि नारद जिस प्रकार श्वेतद्वीपमें गये, वह सब प्रसंग तुमसे कहूँगा। तुम एकचित्त होकर सुनो ।।
bhīṣma uvāca— yudhiṣṭhira! śvetadvīpa-nivāsinaḥ puruṣā yathā santi, teṣāṃ sarvāṃ sthitiṃ mayā tubhyaṃ kathayitvā śrāvitā. idānīṃ devarṣi-nāradaḥ yathā śvetadvīpaṃ gataḥ, tat sarvaṃ prasangaṃ tubhyaṃ kathayiṣyāmi. tvaṃ ekacittaḥ śṛṇu. iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi nārāyaṇīye saptatriṃśad-adhika-triśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ.
毗湿摩说道：“尤提士提罗啊，我已向你详述住在白洲（Śvetadvīpa）之人的全部境况与生活方式。如今我将把天仙圣者那罗陀（Nārada）如何前往白洲的始末尽数告诉你。你当一心不乱而听。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes disciplined receptivity to spiritual instruction: higher knowledge is transmitted through attentive listening (ekacitta-śravaṇa). It also frames Śvetadvīpa as an exemplar realm whose inhabitants’ way of life is ethically and spiritually instructive, preparing the listener for a revelatory narrative involving Nārada.
Bhīṣma concludes a prior description of the inhabitants of Śvetadvīpa and announces the next episode: the account of how the divine sage Nārada traveled to Śvetadvīpa. He instructs Yudhiṣṭhira to listen with focused attention as the narrative transitions to Nārada’s journey.