Shloka 66
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
तलवद्ू दृश्यते व्योम खद्योतो हव्यवाडिव । न चैवास्ति तल॑ व्योम्नि खद्योते न हुताशन:
talavad dṛśyate vyoma khadyoto havyavāḍ iva | na caivāsti talaṁ vyomni khadyote na hutāśanaḥ ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—আকাশ উল্টে রাখা কড়াইয়ের ভেতরের তলার মতো দেখায়, আর জোনাকি যেন আগুনের মতোই মনে হয়; কিন্তু সত্যে আকাশে কোনো ‘তল’ নেই, আর জোনাকিতে প্রকৃত অগ্নিও নেই।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma illustrates how appearances can mislead: the mind projects form and substance where none truly exist. Like the sky seeming to have a ‘surface’ and a firefly seeming to contain fire, many worldly judgments mistake seeming for being; ethical discernment requires seeing beyond mere appearance.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on right understanding and conduct. Here he uses two everyday images—sky and firefly—to clarify a philosophical point about illusion and misapprehension, supporting the broader counsel on wise discrimination in dharma.