Shloka 9
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
तांस्तु विप्रस्थितान् दृष्टवा शास्त्रै: शास्त्राभिनन्दिन: । स्वशास्त्रै: परितुष्टाश्न श्रेयो नोपलभामहे,“जिनके मनमें वह बात बैठ गयी है, उन सबको उन शास्त्रोंके उपदेशके अनुसार नाना प्रकारके आचार-मार्गसे चलते और अपने-अपने शास्त्रोंका अभिनन्दन करते देखकर जैसे हम अपनी मान्यतामें संतुष्ट हैं, वैसे ही उन्हें भी संतुष्ट पाकर हमारे मनमें संशय उत्पन्न हो गया है। हम यह ठीक-ठीक निश्चय नहीं कर पा रहे हैं कि परम कल्याणकी प्राप्तिका सर्वश्रेष्ठ उपाय क्या है?
tāṁstu viprasthitān dṛṣṭvā śāstraiḥ śāstrābhinandinaḥ | svaśāstraiḥ parituṣṭāś ca śreyo nopalabhāmahe ||
Bhishma said: “But when we see those people—each firmly established in his own doctrine—living according to the disciplines taught in their respective scriptures and praising those very scriptures, and when we find them as satisfied in their own convictions as we are in ours, doubt arises in our mind. We cannot clearly determine what the highest means is for attaining the supreme good.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When many traditions follow their own scriptures sincerely and appear equally content, mere adherence to a particular śāstra does not by itself settle the question of śreyas (the supreme good). The verse frames a disciplined doubt that calls for deeper discernment about what truly leads to ultimate welfare.
Bhīṣma is explaining a situation of intellectual and ethical uncertainty: observing diverse groups devoted to their respective scriptural paths and praising them, he (or the inquirers he represents) becomes unsure which path is best for attaining the highest good, prompting further inquiry into dharma and liberation.