Shloka 9
ज्योति: सर्वस्य लोकस्य विपुल प्रतिपद्यते । न त्वेव गमन॑ राजन् हेतुतो गमनं तथा । अग्राह्मुमनिबद्धं च वाचा सम्परिवर्जयेत्
jyotiḥ sarvasya lokasya vipula pratipadyate | na tveva gamanaṁ rājan hetuto gamanaṁ tathā | agrāhyam anibaddhaṁ ca vācā samparivarjayet |
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wenn das Spiel bloßen Räsonnierens erschöpft ist, wird reiches, wahres Verstehen erlangt; dieses Wissen wird zum feinsten Licht für die ganze Welt. Doch, o König, was man nur durch Argumente erreicht, ist in demselben Sinne kein verlässliches ‘Gelangen’ zur Wahrheit. Darum soll man, selbst im Reden, meiden, was nicht anzunehmen ist und was ohne Grund ist—zumal jede Behauptung, die nicht durch autoritative Lehre begründet ist.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that mere logical argument (hetu/tarka) is not sufficient as a final authority for truth; genuine knowledge is a ‘light’ for the world and should be grounded in reliable pramāṇa—here, especially what is established by Vedic/scriptural authority—while unfounded or inadmissible claims should be avoided even in speech.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma, lying on the bed of arrows, continues instructing King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. In this verse he cautions the king against treating bare reasoning as definitive knowledge and urges adherence to authoritative, well-established teachings.