Shloka 9
Adhyāya 222 — ब्रह्मस्थानप्राप्ति: मोक्षधर्मे समत्वव्रतम्
Attaining the Brahman-Station: The Vow of Equanimity in Mokṣadharma
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका १ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल १८ “लोक: हैं) द्वाविशर्त्याधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: सनत्कुमारजीका ऋषियोंको भगवत्स्वरूपका उपदेश देना युधिछिर उवाच केचिदाहुर्द्धिजा लोके त्रिधा राजन्ननेकधा । न प्रत्ययो न चान्यच्च दृश्यते ब्रह्म नैव तत् ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
kecid āhur dvijā loke tridhā rājan anekadhā |
na pratyayo na cānyac ca dṛśyate brahma naiva tat ||
nānāvidhāni śāstrāṇi yuktāś caiva pṛthagvidhāḥ |
kim adhiṣṭhāya tiṣṭhāmi tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, in this world some learned Brahmins speak of reality as threefold, while others describe it in many different ways. No firm certainty is found, nor is anything else clearly seen; and that supreme Brahman is not directly visible. There are scriptures of many kinds, each supported by its own reasoning and set forth in differing methods. Therefore, O Grandsire, tell me: relying on what foundation—what settled standpoint—should I take my stand and live?”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic Mahābhārata concern: when authoritative teachings conflict and the Absolute is not directly perceptible, one should seek a stable basis (adhiṣṭhāna) for life and practice. It motivates Bhīṣma’s subsequent guidance—moving from mere debate among doctrines toward a lived grounding in knowledge, discernment, and a practicable path aligned with dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira—troubled by competing metaphysical accounts (twofold, threefold, or many principles) and by the indirectness of Brahman—asks Bhīṣma to clarify which standpoint he should adopt. This question sets up the ensuing instruction (including the Sanatkumāra-related teaching in the chapter) that addresses confusion born of doctrinal plurality.