Shloka 3
Varāha-avatāra: Viṣṇu’s subterranean intervention and the cosmic nāda (Śānti-parva 202)
नोष्णं न शीतं मृदु नापि तीक्ष्णं नाम्लं कषायं मधुरं न तिक्तम् । न शब्दवन्नापि च गन्धवत्त- न्न रूपवत्तत् परमस्वभावम्,वह परमात्मतत्त्व न गर्म है न शीतल, न कोमल है न तीक्ष्ण, न खट्टा है न कसैला, न मीठा है न तीता। शब्द, गन्ध और रूपसे भी वह रहित है। उसका स्वरूप सबसे उत्कृष्ट एवं विलक्षण है
noṣṇaṃ na śītaṃ mṛdu nāpi tīkṣṇaṃ nāmlaṃ kaṣāyaṃ madhuraṃ na tiktam | na śabdavan nāpi ca gandhavattanna rūpavattat paramasvabhāvam ||
Bhishma said: The supreme Self is not hot or cold, not soft or sharp; not sour, not astringent; not sweet, not bitter. It is devoid of sound, smell, and form. Its nature is the highest—utterly distinct from all sensory qualities.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the supreme Self (Ātman/Brahman) is not an object of the senses and cannot be described through sensory opposites (hot/cold, sweet/bitter, etc.). By negating sense-qualities, it directs the seeker toward discrimination (viveka) and detachment (vairāgya) as foundations for liberation-oriented dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener on higher dharma and liberation. Here he characterizes the supreme principle by denying all sensory attributes, emphasizing that ultimate reality transcends ordinary experience and should be approached through inner knowledge rather than sense-gratification.