Shloka 7
ज्ञानं यतः प्रार्थयते नरो वै ततस्तदर्था भवति प्रवृत्ति: । न चाप्यहं वेद परं पुराणं मिथ्याप्रवृत्ति च कथं नु कुर्याम्,मनुष्यको जिस वस्तुका ज्ञान होता है, उसीको वह पाना चाहता है और पानेकी इच्छा उत्पन्न होनेपर उसके लिये वह प्रयत्न आरम्भ करता है; परंतु मैं तो उस पुरातन परमोत्कृष्ट वस्तुके विषयमें कुछ जानता ही नहीं हूँ; फिर उसे पानेके लिये झूठा प्रयत्न कैसे करूँ?
jñānaṃ yataḥ prārthayate naro vai tatastadarthā bhavati pravṛttiḥ | na cāpyahaṃ veda paraṃ purāṇaṃ mithyāpravṛttiṃ ca kathaṃ nu kuryām ||
Bhishma said: A man seeks precisely that which he knows; and once the desire to obtain it arises, his effort naturally turns toward that goal. But I do not truly know that ancient, supreme Reality—so how could I undertake a pursuit that would be mere false striving?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire and purposeful action arise from knowledge; therefore one should not claim to pursue the highest truth without genuine understanding, because such pursuit becomes mithyāpravṛtti—vain or dishonest striving.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he reflects on the link between knowing and seeking, and expresses intellectual humility: since he does not truly know the supreme, ancient principle, he refuses to pretend to pursue it through a merely performative or misguided effort.