Shloka 28
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
शकुनीनामिवाकाशे जले वारिचरस्य च । यथा गतिने दृश्येत तथा तस्य न संशय:,जैसे आकाशमें पक्षियोंका और जलमें जलचर जन्तुओंका पदचिह्न नहीं दिखायी देता, उसी प्रकार ज्ञानीकी गति भी जाननेमें नहीं आती है। इसमें तनिक भी संशय नहीं है
śakunīnām ivākāśe jale vāricarasya ca | yathā gatir na dṛśyeta tathā tasya na saṃśayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Just as the track of birds cannot be seen in the sky, and the track of creatures that move in water cannot be seen in water, so too the course of the truly wise cannot be traced or grasped by ordinary observation. Of this there is no doubt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The inner state and ultimate trajectory of a truly wise person cannot be judged from external signs. Like paths that leave no footprints (birds in the sky, aquatic beings in water), the knower’s movement—ethical, mental, and spiritual—does not lend itself to easy worldly measurement.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and the life of wisdom, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira through analogies. Here he uses natural imagery to emphasize that the realized person’s ‘gati’ (course/way) is subtle and not readily perceived by others.