Shloka 19
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
शकुनानामिवाकाशे मत्स्यानामिव चोदके । पदं यथा न दृश्येत तथा ज्ञानविदां गति:,जैसे आकाशमें पक्षियोंके और जलमें मछलियोंके चरण-चिह्न दिखायी नहीं देते, उसी प्रकार ज्ञानियोंकी गतिका पता नहीं चलता
śakunānām ivākāśe matsyānām iva codake | padaṃ yathā na dṛśyeta tathā jñānavidāṃ gatiḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Just as the footprints of birds cannot be seen in the sky, and the tracks of fish cannot be seen in water, so too the course of those who truly know—those established in wisdom—cannot be traced or measured by ordinary signs.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The truly wise cannot be judged by external traces—status, display, or predictable patterns. Like birds in the sky and fish in water, their way is subtle and untrackable because it is guided by inner knowledge rather than outward show.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhīṣma continues teaching Yudhiṣṭhira, using a vivid natural analogy to describe the elusive, non-ostentatious conduct and movement of genuine knowers of truth.