Shloka 21

असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्

On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment

Devanagari script

दृश्यं पश्यति य: पश्यन्‌ स चनक्षुष्मान्‌ स बुद्धिमान्‌ | अज्ञातानां च विज्ञानात्‌ सम्बोधाद्‌ बुद्धिरुच्यते

Transliteration

dṛśyaṃ paśyati yaḥ paśyan sa ca cakṣuṣmān sa buddhimān | ajñātānāṃ ca vijñānāt sambodhād buddhir ucyate ||

Translation

He who, while seeing, truly perceives the seen world—standing apart in the form of the Witness—is alone said to possess real sight and real intelligence. Because it enables the knowing of what was unknown and brings about clear awakening, a particular function (vṛtti) of the inner instrument is called ‘buddhi’ (discernment).

Word by Word

• {'dṛśyam': 'the seen

• the objective field of experience, phenomena', 'paśyati': 'sees

• perceives', 'yaḥ': 'who', 'paśyan': 'while seeing

• even as one looks', 'sa': 'he

• that person', 'cakṣuṣmān': 'one who has eyes

• truly sighted (in the deeper sense)', 'buddhimān': 'intelligent

• endowed with discernment', 'ajñātānām': 'of the unknown (truths/principles)', 'vijñānāt': 'from/through knowing distinctly

• discriminative knowledge', 'sambodhāt': 'from/through right understanding

• awakening, clear comprehension', 'buddhiḥ': 'intellect

• a function of the inner instrument (antaḥkaraṇa)', 'ucyate': 'is called

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True ‘seeing’ is not mere sensory perception; it is the discernment that observes the entire field of phenomena while remaining established as the Witness (dṛṣṭā). Buddhi is defined as the inner faculty that makes the unknown known and produces clear, awakened understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on inner knowledge and right understanding, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a reflective definition of buddhi: the capacity to stand apart from the visible world and comprehend it correctly, thereby awakening insight into deeper truths.