Shloka 35
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
यस्तु प्रीतिपुरोगेन चक्षुषा तात पश्यति । दीपोपमानि भूतानि यावदर्थान्न पश्यति
yastu prītipurogena cakṣuṣā tāta paśyati | dīpopamāni bhūtāni yāvadarthān na paśyati ||
Parāśara said: “But the one who looks with the eye led by affection, dear one, sees beings as though they were lamps—shining and attractive—yet he does not see their true purposes and realities as they are.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Affection-biased perception distorts judgment: when one looks through the lens of attachment, one is captivated by surface brilliance (like lamps) and fails to discern the true nature, purpose, and consequences connected with beings and situations.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Parāśara instructs his listener (addressed as “tāta”) about the pitfalls of attachment and the need for clear discernment, using the simile of beings appearing like lamps to an affection-led gaze.