Shloka 23
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
ज्ञानमप्यपदिश्यं हि यथा नास्ति तथैव तत् । त॑ तथा छिन्नमूलेन सन्नोदयितुमरहसि
jñānam apy apadiśyaṃ hi yathā nāsti tathaiva tat | tathā chinnamūlena saṃnodayitum arhasi |
Bhishma said: “Even what is called ‘knowledge’—if it is of the doubtful kind—is, in effect, no better than not knowing at all. Therefore you should cut doubt off at its root and drive it away, taking refuge in knowledge that is free from uncertainty.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge that remains entangled in doubt fails to guide conduct and realization; therefore one should uproot the very cause of doubt and rely on clear, decisive understanding.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising the listener on right understanding: he warns that ‘knowledge’ mixed with uncertainty is effectively equivalent to ignorance and urges the removal of doubt at its source.