Shloka 7
Aṣṭāvakra and the Woman: Disclosure, Permission, and Marital Resolution (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय २२)
पूर्वस्यां दिशि सूर्य च सो5पश्यदुदितं दिवि | तस्य बुद्धिरियं कि नु मोहस्तत्त्वमिदं भवेत्,तदनन्तर वे मुनि अत्यन्त आश्वर्यवकित होकर उठ बैठे। उन्होंने देखा कि पूर्व-दिशाके आकाशकमें सूर्यदेवका उदय हो गया है। वे सोचने लगे, क्या यह मेरा मोह है या वास्तवमें सूर्योदय हो गया है
pūrvasyāṃ diśi sūryaṃ ca so 'paśyad uditaṃ divi | tasya buddhir iyaṃ ki nu mohas tattvam idaṃ bhavet | tad-anantaraṃ sa munir atyantāścaryavākitaḥ utthāya upāviśat | apaśyat ca pūrva-diśāyāṃ ākāśe sūryadevasya udayaṃ | sa cintayām āsa—kim idaṃ mama mohaḥ, atha vā vastutaḥ sūryodayaḥ jātaḥ ||
Bhishma said: He then saw the sun risen in the sky in the eastern direction. A doubt arose in his mind: “What is this—mere delusion, or has the sun truly risen?” Immediately afterward, the sage, struck with overwhelming wonder, sat up and looked again: in the eastern sky the Sun-god had indeed appeared. He reflected, “Is this my confusion, or has dawn actually come?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment (viveka): one should test whether an experience is mere moha (delusion) or tattva (reality). Even a sage pauses to verify perception, modeling careful judgment rather than impulsive certainty.
A sage (as described by Bhishma) suddenly sees the sun risen in the eastern sky and is astonished. Unsure whether this is an illusion or an actual sunrise, he sits up and reflects, trying to determine the truth of what he perceives.