Shloka 231
Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command
Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa
देवं चराचरात्मानं श्रीवत्साड्कं सुवर्चसम् । पद्मनाभं च जानाति तमाहुस्तामसं बुधा:
devaṁ carācarātmānaṁ śrīvatsāṅkaṁ suvarcasam | padmanābhaṁ ca jānāti tam āhus tāmasaṁ budhāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Celui qui reconnaît le Seigneur—le Soi de tout ce qui se meut et ne se meut pas—rayonnant, marqué du Śrīvatsa et connu comme Padmanābha, et qui pourtant Le qualifie de “tāmasa” (de ténèbres/ignorance), est, selon les sages, dans l’état de tamas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one has some recognition of the Supreme Lord’s identity and glory, to mislabel or denigrate Him as ‘tāmasa’ reveals a mind dominated by tamas—ignorance and delusion. True wisdom aligns knowledge with reverent, accurate understanding.
Bhishma is describing a criterion for spiritual discernment: the wise judge a person’s inner disposition (guṇa) by how they speak about and understand the Supreme—here identified through classic Vaiṣṇava epithets and marks (Śrīvatsa, Padmanābha).