Shloka 12
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभियर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृहते
mṛgair mṛgāṇāṃ grahaṇaṃ pakṣiṇāṃ pakṣibhir yathā | gajānāṃ ca gajair eva jñeyaṃ jñānena gṛhyate ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Así como los ciervos son capturados por ciervos, las aves por aves y los elefantes por elefantes, así también lo que ha de conocerse se aprehende únicamente mediante el conocimiento. Ningún propósito se cumple sin emplear un medio adecuado; sólo el instrumento correcto asegura el resultado buscado».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A goal is achieved only through an appropriate means: just as specific creatures are best caught using their own kind as bait or instrument, the knowable is apprehended only through knowledge. The verse stresses fitness of method (upāya-yogyatā) and the primacy of jñāna for understanding.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and effective governance. Here he uses vivid analogies from hunting and capture to illustrate a general principle: success—especially in understanding and in practical affairs—depends on choosing the right instrument or method.