Shloka 43
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
ताम्येयु: प्रच्युता: पृथ्वीं मोहपूर्णा नदीं नरा: । यथा गाधमविद्धांसो बुद्धियोगमयं तथा
tāmyeyuḥ pracyutāḥ pṛthvīṃ mohapūrṇāṃ nadīṃ narāḥ | yathā gādham aviddhāṃso buddhiyogamayaṃ tathā ||
Bhishma said: Men, fallen into this earth-like river of delusion, suffer and grow weary. Just as those who do not know a river’s depth feel distress when they step into its deep bed, so all who are unacquainted with buddhi-yoga (the discipline of discerning knowledge) fall into this vast, delusion-filled river of the world and undergo affliction.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignorance of buddhi-yoga—clear discernment and knowledge-guided discipline—causes people to be overwhelmed by moha; like misjudging a river’s depth, they enter saṃsāra unprepared and suffer.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: the world is a vast river filled with delusion, and those lacking discernment step into its depths and experience distress, illustrating why knowledge and right understanding are necessary for liberation and right conduct.