Shloka 24

Devanagari script

द्विर्दावशेभ्यस्तत्त्वेभ्य: ख्यातो य: पञजचविंशक: । पुरुषो निष्क्रियश्वैव ज्ञानदृश्यश्ष॒ कथ्यते,'जो नेत्रोंसे देखा नहीं जाता, त्वचासे जिसका स्पर्श नहीं होता, गन्ध ग्रहण करनेवाली प्राणेन्द्रियसे जो सूँघनेमें नहीं आता, जो रसनेन्द्रियकी पहुँचसे परे है; सत्त्व, रज और तम नामक गुण जिसपर कोई प्रभाव नहीं डाल पाते, जो सर्वव्यापी, साक्षी और सम्पूर्ण जगत्‌का आत्मा कहलाता है, सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका नाश हो जानेपर भी जो स्वयं नष्ट नहीं होता है, जिसे अजन्मा, नित्य, सनातन, निर्गुण और निष्कल बताया गया है, जो चौबीस तत्त्वोंसे परे पचीसवें तत्त्वके रूपमें विख्यात है, जिसे अन्तर्यामी पुरुष, निष्क्रिय तथा ज्ञानमय नेत्रोंसे ही देखने योग्य बताया जाता है, जिसमें प्रवेश करके श्रेष्ठ द्विज यहाँ मुक्त हो जाते हैं, वही सनातन परमात्मा है। उसीको वासुदेव नामसे जानना चाहिये

Transliteration

dvir-dāvaśebhyas tattvebhyaḥ khyāto yaḥ pañcaviṁśakaḥ | puruṣo niṣkriyaś caiva jñāna-dṛśyaḥ sa ucyate ||

Translation

Bhishma said: That Reality which is renowned as the twenty-fifth principle beyond the twenty-four constituents is called the Puruṣa. He is actionless, and is to be apprehended only by the eye of knowledge. Entering into Him, the best of the twice-born attain liberation here; therefore that eternal Supreme Self should be understood as Vāsudeva.

Word by Word

द्विर्दावशेभ्यःfrom the twenty-four (principles)

तत्त्वेभ्यःfrom the principles/elements

ख्यातःis renowned/known

यःwho

पञ्चविंशकःthe twenty-fifth (principle)

पुरुषःthe Person (Purusha)

निष्क्रियःinactive/actionless

चand

एवindeed/only

ज्ञानदृश्यःvisible only to knowledge (i.e., by inner knowledge)

कथ्यतेis said/called

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Puruṣa

Vāsudeva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse identifies the supreme conscious principle (Puruṣa) as the twenty-fifth reality beyond the twenty-four Sāṅkhya constituents. This Puruṣa is non-acting and cannot be grasped by the senses, only by spiritual knowledge; realizing and entering into Him leads to liberation, and He is to be known as Vāsudeva.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and ultimate good, Bhishma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira metaphysical discernment: he points beyond material principles to the actionless witness-Self, equating that highest Self with Vāsudeva as the object of realization for liberation.