Shloka 15
Śarīrin, Buddhi, and the Limits of Sense-Perception (इन्द्रियबुद्धिशरीरिविचारः)
विचारश्न विवेकश्न वितर्कश्षोपजायते । मुने: समादधानस्य प्रथमं ध्यानमादितः,योगी जब ध्यानका आरम्भ करता है, तब पहले उसके मनमें ध्यानविषयक विचार, विवेक और वितर्क आदि प्रकट होते हैं
vicāraś ca vivekaś ca vitarkaś copajāyate | muneḥ samādhānasya prathamaṃ dhyānam āditaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Lorsque le sage yogin commence la pratique de la méditation et rassemble l’esprit vers la concentration, dès l’abord surgissent des mouvements mentaux tels que la pensée réfléchie, le discernement discriminant et le raisonnement délibératif liés à l’objet de méditation. C’est le premier degré de la discipline intérieure, où l’esprit apprend à se détourner de la dispersion pour aller vers la clarté.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
At the beginning of meditation, the mind does not become silent immediately; it first produces structured mental activity—reflection (vicāra), discernment (viveka), and reasoning (vitarka). These are presented as natural early signs of concentration developing, guiding the practitioner toward clearer, ethically informed awareness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma is teaching about yogic practice. He describes the initial phase of a sage’s meditation: as the yogin starts to concentrate, certain cognitive processes arise around the meditation-object, indicating the mind’s transition from scattered thought to ordered contemplation.