Shloka 50
पृथ्वीनाथ! नृपश्रेष्ठ) काम, क्रोध, सर्दी, गर्मी, वर्षा, भय, शोक, श्वास, मनुष्योंको प्रिय लगनेवाले विषय, दुर्जय असंतोष, घोर तृष्णा, स्पर्श, निद्रा तथा दुर्जय आलस्यको जीतकर वीतराग, महान् एवं उत्तम बुद्धिसे युक्त महात्मा योगी स्वाध्याय तथा ध्यानका सम्पादन करके बुद्धिके द्वारा सूक्ष्म आत्माका साक्षात्कार कर लेते हैं ।। दुर्गस्त्वेष मतः पन्था ब्राह्मणानां विपश्चिताम् । यः कश्रनिद् व्रजति हास्मिन् क्षेमेण भरतर्षभ,भरतमश्रेष्ठ! विद्वान् ब्राह्मणोंने योगके इस मार्गको दुर्गम माना है। कोई बिरला ही इस मार्गको कुशलपूर्वक तै कर सकता है
bhīṣma uvāca | pṛthvīnātha nṛpaśreṣṭha kāmaṁ krodhaṁ śītoṣṇe varṣāṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ śvāsaṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ priyān viṣayān durjayam asantoṣaṁ ghorāṁ tṛṣṇāṁ sparśaṁ nidrāṁ tathā durjayam ālasyam jitvā vītarāgo mahān uttama-buddhi-yukto mahātmā yogī svādhyāyaṁ ca dhyānaṁ ca sampādya buddhyā sūkṣmam ātmānaṁ sākṣātkurvanti || durgas tv eṣa mataḥ panthā brāhmaṇānāṁ vipaścitām | yaḥ kaścid vrajati hy asmin kṣemeṇa bharatarṣabha ||
Bhishma said: O lord of the earth, best of kings—having conquered desire and anger; cold and heat; rain; fear and grief; the restless breath; the sense-objects that appear dear to human beings; hard-to-overcome discontent; fierce craving; the lure of touch; sleep; and stubborn sloth—one becomes free from attachment. Such a great-souled yogin, endowed with a lofty and refined intellect, accomplishes self-study and meditation, and by the power of discernment directly realizes the subtle Self. Yet, O bull of the Bharatas, the wise Brahmanas have judged this path of yoga to be difficult like a fortress; only a rare person traverses it safely and successfully.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation-oriented yoga requires victory over inner enemies (desire, anger, discontent, craving) and bodily/mental pulls (sleep, laziness, attraction to sense-objects), along with endurance of opposites (cold/heat, rain, fear, grief). Through svādhyāya and dhyāna, guided by buddhi (discernment), the yogin gains direct realization of the subtle Self; however, the tradition acknowledges this path is exceptionally difficult and only rarely completed safely.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on the disciplines that lead to peace and the highest good. Here he describes the rigorous yogic path—its required conquests and practices—and adds a sober assessment: even learned Brahmanas call it hard to traverse, and only a few succeed.