Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तद्वद्‌ भूतेषु भूतात्मा सूक्ष्मो ज्ञानात्मवानसौ । अदृष्टपूर्वश्चक्षुभ्भ्या न चासौ नास्ति तावता,जैसे मनुष्योंद्वारा हिमालय पर्वतका दूसरा पार्श्व तथा चन्द्रमाका पृष्ठ भाग देखा हुआ नहीं है तो भी इसके आधारपर यह नहीं कहा जा सकता कि उनके पार्श्व और पृष्ठ भागका अस्तित्व ही नहीं है। उसी प्रकार सम्पूर्ण भूतोंके भीतर रहनेवाला उनका अन्तर्यामी ज्ञानस्वरूप आत्मा अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म होनेके कारण कभी नेत्रोंद्वारा नहीं देखा गया है; अतः उतनेहीसे यह नहीं कहा जा सकता कि आत्मा है ही नहीं

Transliteration

tadvat bhūteṣu bhūtātmā sūkṣmo jñānātmavān asau | adṛṣṭapūrvaś cakṣurbhyā na cāsau nāsti tāvatā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “In the same way, within all beings abides the inner Self of beings—subtle, constituted of knowledge. Though it has never been seen by the eyes, one must not conclude from that alone that the Self does not exist.”

Word by Word

तद्वत्likewise, in the same way

भूतेषुin (all) beings

भूतात्माthe inner self of beings

सूक्ष्मःsubtle

ज्ञानात्मवान्whose nature is knowledge / possessed of knowledge-self

असौthat (one), he

अदृष्टपूर्वःnever seen before (i.e., not seen at all)

चक्षुषाby the eye, with the eye

नnot

चand

असौthat (self)

नnot

अस्तिexists / is

तावताmerely by that much, on that account alone

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Ātman (Self)

Bhūta (beings/creatures)

Cakṣus (eyes)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Non-perception by the senses is not proof of non-existence: the ātman is subtle and knowledge-natured, present within all beings even though it is not visible to the eyes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and higher truth, Bhīṣma explains to the listener that the indwelling Self cannot be dismissed merely because it is not directly seen, emphasizing a distinction between sensory evidence and deeper reality.