Shloka 26
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
अस्ति नास्तीति चाप्येतत् तस्मिन्नसति लक्षणे । किमधिष्ठाय तद् ब्रूयाल्लोकयात्राविनिश्चवयम्
asti nāstīti cāpy etat tasminn asati lakṣaṇe | kim adhiṣṭhāya tad brūyāl lokayātrā-viniścayam ||
قال بهيشما: إذا لم توجد علامة مُعَرِّفة يُتحقَّق بها، فإن قول القائل «هو موجود» أو «هو غير موجود» يغدو بلا أساس. فعلى أيّ مستندٍ يمكن للمرء أن يقرّره، وبذلك يضع قاعدةً مستقرةً لسلوك الحياة في العالم؟
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights an epistemic caution: without a reliable lakṣaṇa (defining sign) or valid means of knowledge, asserting either existence or non-existence is unjustified; therefore one cannot ground a firm rule for practical life merely on such unsupported inference.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bhīṣma addresses doubts about the self (ātman) and the limits of inference, questioning how one can decide worldly norms (lokayātrā) if the foundational claim lacks ascertainable marks.