Shloka 14
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
इमं गुणसमाहारमात्म भावेन पश्यत: । असम्यग्दर्शनैर्द:खमनन्तं नोपशाम्यति,जो लोग गुणोंके संघातरूप इस शरीरको ही आत्मा समझ लेते हैं, उन्हें मिथ्या ज्ञानके कारण अनन्त दु:खोंकी प्राप्ति होती है और उनकी परम्परा कभी शान्त नहीं होती
imaṃ guṇasamāhāram ātma-bhāvena paśyataḥ | asamyagdarśanair duḥkham anantaṃ nopśāmyati ||
Bhishma said: For those who, under the guise of self-understanding, behold this body—only a conglomerate of qualities (guṇas)—as the very Self, suffering becomes endless. Their vision is warped by wrong knowledge; their pain does not subside, and their cycle of distress finds no peace.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mistaking the body—an aggregate of guṇas—for the true Self is a fundamental error. This wrong vision (asamyagdarśana) perpetuates endless suffering; peace arises only when one discerns the Self as distinct from the body and its changing qualities.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhishthira, explaining how erroneous self-identification leads to unending sorrow and why correct insight is necessary for inner peace.