Shloka 63
बलीन्द्रसंवादः — Kāla, Anityatā, and the Limits of Agency
Mahābhārata 12.217
त॑ विशेषमवेक्षेत विशेषेण विचक्षण: । इस प्रकार विचारशील पुरुषको चाहिये कि वह पहले अव्यक्तः (प्रकृति) और पुरुष (जीवात्मा)--इन दोनोंका ज्ञान प्राप्त करे; फिर इन दोनोंसे श्रेष्ठ जो परम महान् पुरुषोत्तम तत्त्व है, उसका विशेषरूपसे ज्ञान प्राप्त करे
taṁ viśeṣam avekṣeta viśeṣeṇa vicakṣaṇaḥ |
Bhishma said: A discerning person should examine that Supreme Distinction with special care. Thus, the thoughtful seeker ought first to gain clear knowledge of the Unmanifest (Avyakta, Prakṛti) and the Puruṣa (the individual self); then, transcending both, one should realize in a distinct and focused way the highest, exceedingly great Reality—the Supreme Person (Puruṣottama).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Begin with discriminative knowledge of the two foundational principles—Unmanifest Nature (avyakta/prakṛti) and the conscious self (puruṣa/jīva)—and then, by sharper discernment, realize the supreme reality that transcends both: the Puruṣottama.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by outlining a graded contemplative approach: understand prakṛti and the individual self first, then pursue the higher realization of the Supreme Person beyond them.