Shloka 32
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
स्नेहपूर्णे यथा पात्रे मन आधाय निश्चलम् । पुरुषो युक्त आरोहेत् सोपानं युक्तमानस:,पृथ्वीनाथ! जैसे सिरपर रखे हुए तेलसे भरे पात्रकी ओर मनको स्थिरभावसे लगाये रखनेवाला पुरुष एकाग्रचित्त हो सीढ़ियोंपर चढ़ जाता है और जरा भी तेल नहीं छलकता, उसी तरह योगी भी योगयुक्त होकर जब आत्माको परमात्मामें स्थिर करता है, उस समय उसका आत्मा अत्यन्त निर्मल तथा अचल सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी हो जाता है
snehapūrṇe yathā pātre mana ādhāya niścalam | puruṣo yukta ārohet sopānaṁ yuktamānasaḥ || pṛthvīnātha! yathā śirasā dhṛte tailapūrṇapātre manaḥ sthirīkṛtyaika-citto janaḥ sopānāni ārohati na ca kiñcid api tailaṁ praskhalati, tathā yogī’pi yogayukto yadā ātmānaṁ paramātmani sthāpayati tadā tasya ātmā atyanta-nirmalaś ca niścalas ca sūryavad dīptimān bhavati ||
Bhishma said: “O lord of the earth, just as a man, fixing his mind steadily upon a vessel filled with oil balanced upon his head, climbs a flight of steps with one-pointed attention and does not spill even a little, so too the yogin—disciplined in yoga—when he establishes the self in the Supreme Self, becomes inwardly purified and unwavering; his awareness shines with a sun-like brilliance.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches ekāgratā (one-pointed concentration) and steadiness: as careful attention prevents even a drop of oil from spilling while climbing steps, so disciplined yoga enables the yogin to fix the self in the Supreme without wavering, resulting in purity and radiant clarity.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs the king on dharma and the path of inner peace. Here he uses a vivid everyday analogy—balancing an oil-filled vessel while climbing stairs—to illustrate the mental steadiness required for yogic absorption in the Paramātman.