Shloka 21
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
जातिनिर्वेदमुक्त्वा स कर्मनिर्वेदमब्रवीत् | कर्मनिर्वेदमुक्त्वा च सर्वनिर्वेदमब्रवीत्,उन्होंने 'जातिनिर्वेद'* का वर्णन करके “कर्मनिर्वेद'* का उपदेश किया। तत्पश्चात् 'सर्वनिर्वेद'* की बात बतायी
jātinirvedam uktvā sa karmanirvedam abravīt | karmanirvedam uktvā ca sarvanirvedam abravīt |
Bhishma said: Having first explained dispassion arising from one’s social condition or birth (jāti-nirveda), he then taught dispassion toward action itself (karma-nirveda). And after setting forth dispassion toward action, he went on to speak of complete, all-encompassing dispassion (sarva-nirveda).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a graded instruction in vairāgya (detachment): from disenchantment tied to one’s social condition (jāti-nirveda), to disenchantment toward action and its outcomes (karma-nirveda), culminating in comprehensive detachment from all worldly aims (sarva-nirveda), which supports liberation-oriented living.
Bhishma summarizes a teacher’s sequence of instruction: after describing one form of disenchantment, the teacher advances the listener step by step to deeper renunciation, ending with the teaching of total disenchantment.