Shloka 1013

रूप॑ चक्षुः प्रकाशश्व दर्शने हेतवस्त्रय: । शरीरस्थ इन्द्रियाँ विषयोंका प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव करते समय अन्यान्य बाह्य गुणोंकी अपेक्षा रखती हैं। उन गुणोंको आप मुझसे सुनिये। रूप, नेत्र और प्रकाश--ये तीन किसी वस्तुको प्रत्यक्ष देखनेमें हेतु हैं

rūpaṃ cakṣuḥ prakāśaś ca darśane hetavas trayaḥ |

Bhīṣma explica que la percepción directa no nace del órgano sensorial por sí solo. Cuando los sentidos, asentados en el cuerpo, experimentan un objeto de manera manifiesta, requieren además otros apoyos externos. Escúchame: para ver algo con evidencia se necesitan tres causas—la forma visible (el objeto), el ojo (el órgano de la vista) y la luz (la iluminación).

रूपम्form/visible appearance
रूपम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootरूप
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
चक्षुःeye; sight
चक्षुः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootचक्षुस्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
प्रकाशःlight/illumination
प्रकाशः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootप्रकाश
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
दर्शनेin seeing; in perception
दर्शने:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootदर्शन
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
हेतवःcauses; means
हेतवः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootहेतु
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
त्रयःthree
त्रयः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootत्रि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

भीष्य उवाच

B
Bhīṣma
R
rūpa (form)
C
cakṣuḥ (eye)
P
prakāśa (light)

Educational Q&A

Seeing (and by extension sense-knowledge) arises from multiple necessary conditions: an object with form, a functioning sense organ, and illumination. Bhīṣma emphasizes causal dependence in cognition, encouraging careful discrimination about how knowledge is produced.

In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhīṣma continues teaching about the workings of the senses and perception. Here he specifies the three requisites for visual perception—form, eye, and light—as part of a broader explanation of how embodied beings experience objects.