Shloka 1263
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
यानि श्रुतानि सर्वाणि तेषां सारोड्यमुद्धृत: । राजन! तुमने मुझसे जो अन्य सैकड़ों उपाख्यान सुने हैं, उन सबका यह सारभाग निकालकर तुम्हारे सामने रखा गया है
yāni śrutāni sarvāṇi teṣāṃ sāro ’yam uddhṛtaḥ | rājan, tvayā mayi śrutāni yāny anyāni śataśa upākhyānāni teṣāṃ sarabhāgaṃ niṣkṛṣya tavāgre nidhāpitam iti ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，在一切所闻之中，这便是提炼出来的精髓。你从我这里听过的数百则譬喻故事，我已抽取其中心旨趣，凝练成要，呈于你前。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that extensive instruction—many stories and teachings—should culminate in a distilled ‘essence’ (sāra). The ethical point is to grasp the central dharmic purport rather than remain lost in sheer quantity of narratives.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma addresses the king and signals a transition or conclusion: after recounting numerous illustrative tales (upākhyānas), he now presents their extracted summary as the key takeaway for the ruler’s guidance.