Shloka 19
तपसा चानुमानेन गुणैर्जात्या श्रुतेन च निनीषेत् परमं ब्रह्म विशुद्धेनान्तरात्मना,इसलिये तपसे, अनुमानसे, शम आदि गुणोंसे, जातिगत धर्मोंके पालनसे तथा शास््त्रोंके स्वाध्यायसे अन्तःकरणको विशुद्ध करके उसके द्वारा परब्रह्मको प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छा करे
tapasā cānumānena guṇair jātyā śrutena ca ninīṣet paramaṃ brahma viśuddhenāntarātmanā
Bhishma said: One should aspire to attain the Supreme Brahman by first purifying the inner self—through austerity, through disciplined reasoning and inference, through virtues such as self-restraint, through faithful observance of one’s duties according to one’s station in life, and through study of the sacred teachings. With an inward being made clear and stainless, let one seek the highest Reality.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation-oriented knowledge is grounded in inner purity. Bhishma teaches that the seeker should cleanse the inner self through disciplined austerity, thoughtful reasoning, cultivation of virtues like self-restraint, faithful performance of one’s rightful duties, and scriptural study; with such purified inwardness, one can seek and realize the Supreme Brahman.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he outlines practical means—tapas, rational inquiry, ethical virtues, duty, and study—by which a person purifies the inner instrument and becomes fit to pursue realization of Brahman.