Shloka 125

धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)

Devanagari script

इदमाख्यानमार्षेयं पारम्पर्यागतं नृप

Transliteration

idam ākhyānam ārṣeyaṁ pāramparyāgataṁ nṛpa

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，此乃圣贤（ṛṣi）所印可的神圣叙事，由不绝的传统相承而来。”

Word by Word

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आख्यानम्: narrative, account
• आख्यानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आर्षेयम्: of the rishis, rishi-tradition
• आर्षेयम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्षेय
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पारम्पर्यागतम्: handed down by tradition (lineage-transmitted)
• पारम्पर्यागतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारम्पर्य-आगत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• nṛpa (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the authority of dharmic instruction when it is rooted in ṛṣi-tradition and preserved through an authentic lineage (paramparā), implying that ethical guidance gains weight through reliable transmission.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces the account he is about to narrate to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), framing it as an ancient, seer-derived story received through tradition, thereby preparing the listener to treat it as a trustworthy source of dharma.