Shloka 5
Vyaktāvyakta-Viveka and Nivṛtti as Paramā Gati
Manifest–Unmanifest Discrimination and the Supreme Path of Withdrawal
उपासनात् प्रसन्नोडसि यदि वै भगवन् मम । संशयो मे महान् कश्रित् तन्मे व्याख्यातुमरहसि । कुतश्चाहं कुतश्च त्वं तत् सम्यग्ब्रूहि यत्परम्,“भगवन्! यदि आप मेरी सेवासे प्रसन्न हैं तो मेरे मनमें जो एक बड़ा भारी संदेह है, उसे दूर करनेकी कृपा करें--ेरे प्रश्नकी विशद व्याख्या करें। मैं इस संसारमें कहाँसे आया हूँ और आप भी कहाँसे आये हैं? यह भलीभाँति समझाकर बताइये। इसके सिवा जो परम तत्त्व है, उसका भी विवेचन कीजिये
bhīṣma uvāca | upāsanāt prasanno 'si yadi vai bhagavan mama | saṁśayo me mahān kaścit tan me vyākhyātum arhasi | kutaś cāhaṁ kutaś ca tvaṁ tat samyag brūhi yat param ||
Bhishma said: “O Blessed one, if you are indeed pleased with my devoted service, then please resolve a great doubt that has arisen in me. Deign to explain it clearly: from where have I come into this world, and from where have you come? Tell me this rightly—and also expound that highest reality beyond all else.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic Vedantic-style inquiry: the seeker asks about the origin of the individual self and the teacher (or cosmic principle) and requests an exposition of the supreme reality (yat param). It highlights that sincere devotion and service (upāsanā) lead to eligibility for deeper metaphysical instruction.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma addresses a revered teacher as “Bhagavan,” stating that if the teacher is pleased with his devoted attendance, he should remove Bhishma’s major doubt. Bhishma asks two linked questions—his own origin and the teacher’s origin—and then asks for a clear explanation of the highest principle beyond them.