Shloka 8
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
अद्वैधज्ञ: पथि द्वैधे संशयं प्राप्तुमहति | बुद्धिद्वेधं वेदितव्यं पुरस्तादेव भारत
Bhīṣma uvāca: advaidhajñaḥ pathi dvaidhe saṁśayaṁ prāptum arhati | buddhidvaidhyaṁ veditavyaṁ purastād eva bhārata ||
Bhishma said: One who does not understand the principle of non-duality—who cannot discern beyond apparent contradictions—may fall into doubt when he comes upon a path divided into two opposing alternatives. Therefore, O Bharata, the mind’s own doubleness—its tendency to split and waver—should be recognized and understood beforehand. (For the same act may appear as dharma in one circumstance and as adharma in another; knowing this prevents confusion.)
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical life often presents ‘dvaidhya’—cases where the same act can be judged dharma in one context and adharma in another. If one has not understood this and trained one’s discernment, one will become trapped in doubt at critical moments. Hence Bhishma urges recognizing the intellect’s tendency to waver and preparing clarity beforehand.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhisthira on dharma after the war. Here he warns that practical moral life is not always straightforward; when confronted with conflicting duties, an unprepared person becomes uncertain. Bhishma advises Yudhisthira to understand this duality of judgment in advance.