Shloka 14
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
यदूर्ध्व पादतलयोरवाड़ मूर्थ्नश्व॒ पश्यसि । एतस्मिन्नेव कृत्स्नेयं वर्तते बुद्धिरन्तरे
yad ūrdhvaṃ pāda-talayor avāṅ mūrdhnaś ca paśyasi | etasminn eva kṛtsneyam vartate buddhir antare ||
Bhīṣma said: “Whatever portion of the body you observe—from above the soles of the feet up to the crown of the head—within this entire frame the faculty of understanding (buddhi) operates, pervading the inner being. The teaching points to the subtle presence of intelligence throughout embodied life, guiding discernment and conduct.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That buddhi—the inner faculty of discernment—operates throughout the embodied person; it is not confined to a single spot but pervades the whole living frame, enabling judgment and ethical choice.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner principles; here he explains the pervasive functioning of buddhi within the body as part of a broader teaching on the self and right understanding.