Shloka 26
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
पृथक्त्वात् सम्प्रयोगाच्च नासूयुरवेद शाश्वतम् । स तयोरपवर्गज्ञो वीतरागो विमुच्यते,शास्त्रोंमें कहीं जीवात्मा और परमात्माकी पृथक्ताका प्रतिपादन करनेवाले वचन उपलब्ध होते हैं और कहीं उनकी एकताका। यह परस्पर विरोध देखकर दोषदृष्टि न करते हुए सनातन ज्ञानको प्राप्त करे। जो उन दोनों प्रकारके वचनोंका तात्पर्य समझकर मोक्षके तत्त्वको जान लेता है, वह वीतराग पुरुष संसारबन्धनसे मुक्त हो जाता है
pṛthaktvāt samprayogāc ca nāsūyur aveda śāśvatam | sa tayor apavargajño vītarāgo vimucyate ||
Bhīṣma said: Because the scriptures speak in two ways—sometimes of the soul’s separateness and sometimes of its union—one should not fall into fault-finding on seeing this apparent contradiction, but should grasp the eternal wisdom. The person who understands the intended purport of both kinds of statements and thereby knows the principle of liberation becomes free from attachment and is released from worldly bondage.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not criticize the śāstra when it presents both difference and unity between jīva and the Supreme; understand their intended purport together. One who grasps this synthesis knows the truth of liberation (apavarga) and, becoming free from attachment (vītarāga), is freed from saṃsāra.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about liberation-oriented wisdom. Here he addresses how to read seemingly divergent scriptural statements—difference versus union—without fault-finding, and how correct understanding leads to detachment and release.