Shloka 23

Varāha-avatāra: Viṣṇu’s subterranean intervention and the cosmic nāda (Śānti-parva 202)

Devanagari script

चलं॑ यथा दृष्टिपथं परैति सूक्ष्म महद्‌ रूपमिवाभिभाति । स्वरूपमालोचयते च रूप॑ परं तथा बुद्धिपथं परैति,जैसे शीघ्रगामी नौकापर बैठे हुए पुरुषकी दृष्टिमें पार्श्ववर्ती वृक्ष पीछेकी ओर वेगसे भागते हुए दिखायी देते हैं, उसी प्रकार कूटस्थ निर्विकारी आत्मा बुद्धिके विकारसे विकारवान्‌-सा प्रतीत होता है एवं जैसे चश्मे या दूरबीनसे महीन अक्षर मोटा दीखता है और छोटी आकृति बहुत बड़ी दिखायी देती है, उसी प्रकार सूक्ष्म आत्मतत्त्व भी बुद्धि, विवेक- समूह शरीरसे संयुक्त होनेके कारण शरीरके रूपमें प्रतीत होने लगता है। तथा जैसे स्वच्छ दर्पण अपने मुखका प्रतिबिम्ब दिखा देता है, उसी प्रकार शुद्ध बुद्धिमें आत्माके स्वरूपकी झाँकी उपलब्ध हो जाती है

Transliteration

calaṁ yathā dṛṣṭipathaṁ paraiti sūkṣma-mahad rūpam ivābhibhāti | svarūpam ālocayate ca rūpaṁ paraṁ tathā buddhi-pathaṁ paraiti ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Just as, to a man seated in a swiftly moving boat, the trees on the bank seem to rush backward, so the changeless, immutable Self appears as though it were subject to change because of the modifications of the intellect. And just as through a lens fine letters look thick and a small form appears very large, so too the subtle reality of the Self, when conjoined with the body and the aggregate of discriminative faculties, is taken to be the body’s form. Yet, as a clear mirror reveals the reflection of one’s face, so a purified intellect affords a glimpse of the Self’s own nature.

Word by Word

चलम्moving, unsteady (object)

यथाas, just as

दृष्टि-पथम्the range/path of sight

परैतिgoes, passes

सूक्ष्मम्subtle (thing)

महत्great, large

रूपम्form, appearance

इवas if, like

अभिभातिshines forth, appears

स्व-रूपम्one’s own nature/form

आलोचयतेobserves, contemplates

चand

रूपम्form

परम्supreme, higher

तथाso, likewise

बुद्धि-पथम्the range/path of intellect

परैतिgoes, passes

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

buddhi (intellect)

ātman (Self)

boat

trees (on the bank)

lens (spectacles/telescope)

mirror

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The Self is intrinsically changeless (kūṭastha), but due to the intellect’s modifications and association with body-mind, it is misperceived as changing and embodied. When the intellect is purified and made clear, it can reflect the Self’s true nature, enabling right discernment and progress toward moksha.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma explains a philosophical point about mistaken perception: motion and magnification analogies illustrate how the mind/intellect can project change and grossness onto the subtle, immutable Self; he then adds the mirror analogy to show how a purified intellect can reveal the Self.