Shloka 7
प्रजापतयः देवगणाश्च दिशि-दिशि स्थिताः ऋषयः
Prajāpatis, Deva-Groups, and the Ṛṣis Assigned to the Directions
ज्ञानं यतः प्रार्थयते नरो वै ततस्तदर्था भवति प्रवृत्ति: । न चाप्यहं वेद परं पुराणं मिथ्याप्रवृत्ति च कथं नु कुर्याम्
jñānaṃ yataḥ prārthayate naro vai tatastadarthā bhavati pravṛttiḥ | na cāpyahaṃ veda paraṃ purāṇaṃ mithyāpravṛttiṃ ca kathaṃ nu kuryām ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Der Mensch begehrt genau das, was er kennt; und sobald der Wunsch, es zu erlangen, entsteht, richtet sich sein Streben von selbst auf dieses Ziel. Doch ich kenne jene uralte, höchste Wirklichkeit nicht wahrhaft—wie könnte ich da eine Suche beginnen, die nur ein trügerisches Mühen wäre?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire and purposeful action arise from knowledge; therefore one should not claim to pursue the highest truth without genuine understanding, because such pursuit becomes mithyāpravṛtti—vain or dishonest striving.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he reflects on the link between knowing and seeking, and expresses intellectual humility: since he does not truly know the supreme, ancient principle, he refuses to pretend to pursue it through a merely performative or misguided effort.