शान्तिपर्व

Parva summary

The longest parva. Yudhishthira, paralysed by guilt over the killings, refuses the throne until Bhishma, still alive on the bed of arrows, teaches him. Bhishma delivers raja-dharma (the duties of kings), apad-dharma (dharma in distress), and moksha-dharma (the path to liberation). Embedded are the Sanat-sujatiya, the Vishnu-sahasranama, the dialogue of the vyadha and the brahmin, and instructions on yoga, sankhya, devotion and karma. The parva is in itself a dharmashastra.