Shloka 12
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभियर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृहते,उचित उपाय किये बिना कोई भी प्रयोजन सिद्ध नहीं होता है, जैसे जलमें रहनेवाले प्राणियोंसे जीविका चलानेवाले सूतके जाल बनाकर उनके द्वारा मछलियोंको बाँध लेते हैं, जैसे मृगोंके द्वारा मृगोंको, पक्षियोंद्वारा पक्षियोंको और हाथियोंद्वारा हाथियोंको पकड़ा जाता है, उसी प्रकार ज्ञेय वस्तुका ज्ञानके द्वारा ग्रहण होता है
mṛgair mṛgāṇāṃ grahaṇaṃ pakṣiṇāṃ pakṣibhir yathā | gajānāṃ ca gajair eva jñeyaṃ jñānena gṛhyate ||
Bhīṣma said: “Just as deer are caught by deer, birds by birds, and elephants by elephants, so too what is to be known is grasped only through knowledge. No purpose is accomplished without employing a fitting means; the proper instrument alone secures the intended result.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A goal is achieved only through an appropriate means: just as specific creatures are best caught using their own kind as bait or instrument, the knowable is apprehended only through knowledge. The verse stresses fitness of method (upāya-yogyatā) and the primacy of jñāna for understanding.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and effective governance. Here he uses vivid analogies from hunting and capture to illustrate a general principle: success—especially in understanding and in practical affairs—depends on choosing the right instrument or method.