Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
भूतानि जातिस्मरणात्मकानि जराविकारैश्न समन्वितानि । भूयश्व तैस्तै: प्रतिबोधितानि मोक्ष प्रशंसन्ति न तं च विद्य:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
bhūtāni jātismaraṇātmakāni jarāvikāraiś ca na samanvitāni |
bhūyaś ca tais tais pratibodhitāni mokṣaṃ praśaṃsanti na taṃ ca vidmaḥ ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: إنّ هناك كائناتٍ تذكر ولاداتها السابقة ولا تُصاب بتشوّهات الشيخوخة. وقد أيقظتها التجارب المتنوّعة وعلّمتها مرارًا، فلا تمدح إلا التحرّر. أمّا نحن فلا نعرف حقّ المعرفة ما هي تلك الموكشا.
युधिछिर उवाच
Those who are spiritually awakened—described as remembering past births and being free from the impairments of old age—come to value liberation above worldly experience; Yudhiṣṭhira admits that ordinary people lack clear knowledge of mokṣa and thus need instruction.
In Śānti Parva’s discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a reflective question about liberation: he contrasts rare, awakened beings who extol mokṣa with his own uncertainty, preparing the ground for further teaching on the nature and means of liberation.