Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
अष्टादशपुराणानि धर्मशास्त्राणि सर्वश: । वेदा: साड्रास्तथैकत्र भारतं चैकत: स्थितम्
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇāni dharmaśāstrāṇi sarvaśaḥ | vedāḥ sāṅgās tathaikatra bhārataṃ caikataḥ sthitam ||
毗舍波耶那说道:“一边是十八部《往世书》(Purāṇa)、一切《法论》(Dharmaśāstra)以及具诸辅学的四部《吠陀》;另一边唯有《摩诃婆罗多》独立而立。如此相对衡量,《摩诃婆罗多》一部便与彼等尽相等同。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse asserts the comprehensive authority of the Mahābhārata: it is presented as ethically and doctrinally weighty enough to stand equal to the combined corpus of the Purāṇas, Dharmaśāstras, and the Vedas with their auxiliary disciplines—implying that dharma can be studied in a complete, integrated way through the Mahābhārata.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration during the Svargārohaṇa section, a traditional proclamation is cited that elevates the Mahābhārata’s status among sacred texts, framing it as a singular compendium of teachings comparable to the major scriptural collections.