Shloka 53
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
मलिनाः: प्राप्तुयु: शुद्धि यथा पूर्णा नदीं नरा: । अवगाहा सुविद्धांसो विद्धि ज्ञानमिदं तथा,जैसे मैले शरीरवाले मनुष्य जलसे भरी हुई नदीमें नहा-धोकर साफ-सुथरे हो जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार इस ज्ञानमयी नदीमें अवगाहन करके मलिनचित्त मनुष्य भी शुद्ध एवं ज्ञानसम्पन्न हो जाते हैं--ऐसा जानो
malināḥ prāptuyuḥ śuddhiṃ yathā pūrṇāṃ nadīṃ narāḥ | avagāhā suvidvāṃso viddhi jñānam idaṃ tathā ||
Bhishma said: Just as men whose bodies are soiled attain cleanliness by bathing in a river full of water, so too should you understand this: by immersing oneself in this river of knowledge, even those with a tainted mind become purified and endowed with true understanding.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge functions like a purifying river: sincere immersion in true understanding cleanses inner defilements (mental impurity) and leads to clarity and wisdom, supporting righteous conduct.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma uses a vivid analogy—bathing in a full river—to explain how engagement with liberating knowledge purifies a person and makes them truly learned.