Shloka 36
गर्हितं महतामर्थ सांख्यानां विदितात्मनाम् | भरतश्रेष्ठ] तामस, राजस और सात्त्विक--इन तीन प्रकारके प्राणियोंके जो तत्त्वज्ञानी महात्मा पुरुषोंद्वारा निन्दित मोक्षविरोधी व्यवहार हैं, उनको भी जानना चाहिये ।। उपप्लवांस्तथा घोरान् शशिनस्तेजसस्तथा,नरेश्वर! घोर उत्पात, चन्द्रग्रहण, सूर्यग्रहण, ताराओंका टूटकर गिरना, नक्षत्रोंकी गतिमें उलट-फेर होना तथा पति-पत्नियोंका दुःखदायक वियोग होना आदि बातें, जो इस जगतमें घटित होती हैं, उनको भी जानकर अपने कल्याणका उपाय करना चाहिये
garhitaṁ mahatām artha sāṅkhyānāṁ viditātmanām | bharataśreṣṭha tāmasa-rājasa-sāttvikānāṁ trividha-prāṇināṁ ye tattvajñaiḥ mahātmabhiḥ puruṣaiḥ ninditā mokṣa-virodhinaḥ vyavahārāḥ, tān api jñātum arhasi || upaplavāṁs tathā ghorān śaśinaḥ tejasas tathā | nareśvara ghorotpātān candragrahaṇaṁ sūryagrahaṇaṁ tārāṇāṁ patanaṁ nakṣatra-gati-viparyayaṁ pati-patnyoḥ duḥkhadāyaka-viyogaṁ ca—yāni loke bhavanti, tāny api jñātvā sva-kalyāṇasya upāyaṁ kuryāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O best of the Bharatas, you should also recognize those modes of conduct—arising from the three dispositions, tamas, rajas, and sattva—which are censured by great-souled knowers of truth, the Sāṅkhyas who have realized the Self, because such conduct obstructs liberation. And, O king, you should likewise take note of the fearful disturbances that occur in the world—terrible portents, eclipses of the moon and sun, the falling of stars, reversals in the courses of the constellations, and the sorrowful separation of husband and wife—and, having understood them, undertake the means for your own welfare.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma urges the king to discern which patterns of conduct—shaped by tamas, rajas, and even sattva—are criticized by realized truth-knowers because they hinder liberation, and to respond wisely to worldly disturbances and ominous events by taking up measures that secure true welfare (kalyāṇa) rather than being driven by confusion or fear.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues his counsel on right living and spiritual aim: he lists liberation-obstructing behaviors and then points to frightening occurrences in the world—eclipses, celestial irregularities, and painful domestic separations—as realities a ruler should recognize and use as prompts for prudent, welfare-oriented action.