Shloka 11
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
तत्र विज्ञानसंयुक्ता त्रिविधा चेतना ध्रुवा । सुखदु:खेति यामाहुरदुः:खामसुखेति च,विज्ञानयुक्त चेतना (विषयोंकी उपादेयता, हेयता और उपेक्षणीयताके कारण) निश्चय ही तीन प्रकारकी होती है। उसे अदु:खा, असुखा और सुख-दुःखा कहते हैं
tatra vijñānasaṁyuktā trividhā cetanā dhruvā | sukhaduḥkheti yām āhur aduḥkhām asukheti ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “In this matter, consciousness when conjoined with discriminative knowledge is firmly of three kinds. The wise describe it as (1) that which experiences pleasure and pain, (2) that which is free from pain, and (3) that which is without pleasure—thus distinguishing the mind’s responses according to what is to be accepted, rejected, or set aside.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma classifies consciousness, when guided by discernment (vijñāna), into three stable modes: one that undergoes pleasure and pain, one that is free from pain, and one that is without pleasure—pointing to ethical discrimination in relation to objects as acceptable, rejectable, or to be treated with equanimity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a philosophical-ethical exposition, explaining how the mind’s awareness functions in different experiential modes and how discernment shapes one’s engagement with worldly objects.