Shloka 44
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
आश्रयो नास्ति सत्त्वस्य क्षेत्रज्ञस्य च कश्षन | सत्त्वं मनः संसृजते न गुणान् वै कदाचन
āśrayo nāsti sattvasya kṣetrajñasya ca kaścana | sattvaṁ manaḥ saṁsṛjate na guṇān vai kadācana ||
Bhīṣma dit : Pour l’être intérieur (sattva) il n’existe aucun appui extérieur, et pour le connaisseur du champ (kṣetrajña) il n’y a pas davantage d’autre refuge. Le mental façonne et projette les états du sattva, mais il n’entre jamais réellement en contact direct avec les guṇa. Cet enseignement souligne l’appui intérieur : la délivrance ne s’obtient pas en s’agrippant à des supports externes, mais en discernant le Soi témoin, distinct des constructions mentales et du jeu des qualités.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the true witness (kṣetrajña) and the inner principle (sattva) do not depend on external supports; what appears as inner states is constructed by mind, while the self remains distinct from the guṇas. Ethically, it points to steadiness and non-dependence: cultivate discernment (viveka) so one is not driven by shifting qualities and mental projections.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. Here he turns to a philosophical explanation aligned with Sāṅkhya-style analysis, distinguishing the witnessing knower (kṣetrajña) from mind and the guṇas, to guide the king toward inner clarity and liberation-oriented conduct.