Shloka 7
Adhyāya 222 — ब्रह्मस्थानप्राप्ति: मोक्षधर्मे समत्वव्रतम्
Attaining the Brahman-Station: The Vow of Equanimity in Mokṣadharma
आत्मनि श्रेयसि ज्ञाने धीरं निश्चितनिश्चयम् । परावरज्ञं भूतानां सर्वज्ञं समदर्शनम्
bhīṣma uvāca |
ātmani śreyasi jñāne dhīraṃ niścita-niścayam |
parāvara-jñaṃ bhūtānāṃ sarvajñaṃ sama-darśanam ||
Bhishma said: “He was steadfast, with firm and settled resolve, established in the knowledge of the Self that is the highest good. He knew the higher and the lower realities, understood the origins and ends of beings, was all-knowing in principle, and looked upon all with equal vision.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the ideal of a realized person: firmly established in Self-knowledge (the true good), possessing settled conviction, understanding both higher and lower realities, and maintaining equal vision toward all beings—an ethical-spiritual maturity marked by steadiness and impartiality.
Bhishma is describing the exalted spiritual state of Prahlada (as expanded in the surrounding prose): detached from sense-objects, free from pride, self-controlled, dwelling in solitude, and absorbed in meditation on the Supreme; this sets the stage for Indra approaching him to understand his mind and intention.