Shloka 22
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
शनैन्विंदमादत्ते पापं कर्म जहाति च । धर्मात्मा चैव भवति मोक्ष च लभते परम्,सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको नाशवान् समझकर वह सर्वस्वका मनसे त्याग कर देनेका यत्न करता है। तदनन्तर वह अयोग्य उपायसे नहीं किंतु योग्य उपायसे मोक्षके लिये यत्नशील हो जाता है। इस प्रकार धीरे-धीरे मनुष्यको वैराग्यकी प्राप्ति होनेपर वह पापकर्म तो छोड़ देता है और धर्मात्मा बन जाता है। तत्पश्चात् परम मोक्षको प्राप्त कर लेता है
śanaiḥ nirvindam ādatte pāpaṃ karma jahāti ca | dharmātmā caiva bhavati mokṣaṃ ca labhate param ||
Bhīṣma said: “Gradually, a person takes up dispassion. As that inner weariness toward worldly pursuits grows, he abandons sinful actions and becomes devoted to dharma. Then, through proper means—not by unworthy or crooked methods—he strives for liberation and ultimately attains the supreme mokṣa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is reached through a gradual inner transformation: dispassion arises step by step, leading one to abandon sinful actions, become established in dharma, and then pursue mokṣa by worthy and proper means.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, describing how a seeker’s growing disenchantment with the perishable world results in ethical purification and culminates in supreme mokṣa.