Shloka 44
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
निर्गुणो निष्कलश्रैव निर्द्धन्द्ो निष्परिग्रह: । एतत् त्वया न विज्ञेयं रूपवानिति दृश्यते
nirguṇo niṣkalaś caiva nirdvandvo niṣparigrahaḥ | etat tvayā na vijñeyaṁ rūpavān iti dṛśyate ||
Bhīṣma said: “He is without qualities, without parts, beyond the pairs of opposites, and free from all possessions and attachments. This is not something you can grasp as an object of ordinary knowing—yet He is perceived as though endowed with form.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest reality is transcendent—beyond qualities, parts, dualities, and possessiveness—so it cannot be captured by ordinary objectifying knowledge; nevertheless, it can be experienced or perceived as if it has form, accommodating human perception and devotion.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma continues his philosophical counsel, describing the nature of the supreme principle: intrinsically formless and unattached, yet appearing with form to the perceiver, highlighting the tension between ultimate reality and its accessible manifestation.