Shloka 9
Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā
Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving
भवाभवीो त्वभिजानन् गरीयो ज्ञानाच्छेयो न तु तद् वै करोमि । आशासु धर्म्यासु परासु कुर्वन् यथा नियुक्तोडस्मि तथा वहामि
bhāvābhāvau tv abhijānann garīyo jñānāc chreyo na tu tad vai karomi | āśāsu dharmyāsu parāsu kurvan yathā niyukto ’smi tathā vahāmi ||
Bhishma sprach: „Ich verstehe Aufstieg und Fall der Wesen; ich kenne auch das höhere Gut und weiß, dass wahres Heil durch Erkenntnis erlangt wird. Dennoch setze ich dieses Wissen nicht in die Tat um. Stattdessen, von Hoffnungen bewegt—einige im Einklang mit dem Dharma, andere ihm entgegen—trage ich meine Pflichten genau so, wie der Innere Lenker mich antreibt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gap between knowing the good (śreyas) through knowledge and actually living it. It also reflects on how human action is often driven by desires and mixed motives, while one experiences oneself as being impelled by an inner directing principle (antaryāmin), raising questions about self-mastery and moral responsibility.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma speaks introspectively about human conduct: despite understanding what leads to true welfare, he admits failing to enact it and instead continuing to bear responsibilities as prompted from within, with hopes that may be righteous or unrighteous.