Shloka 16
Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra
यां तरन्ति कृतप्रज्ञा धृतिमन्तो मनीषिण: । तां तीर्ण: सर्वतो मुक्तो विधृतात्मा55त्मविच्छुचि:
yāṃ taranti kṛtaprajñā dhṛtimanto manīṣiṇaḥ | tāṃ tīrṇaḥ sarvato mukto vidhṛtātmātmavicchuciḥ ||
Vyāsa said: That state (or passage) which the wise—those whose understanding is perfected and whose resolve is steady—are able to cross: having crossed it, a person becomes freed on all sides. With the self well-governed and purified by self-knowledge, he stands released from binding limitations.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is attained by crossing beyond a binding condition through perfected discernment, steadfast resolve, and disciplined self-mastery; self-knowledge purifies and results in comprehensive freedom.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a general principle: the wise cross a difficult existential passage, and once they have crossed it, they become free—purified and stabilized through self-knowledge and inner discipline.