Shloka 6
मनस्–बुद्धि–गुणविचारः (Manas–Buddhi–Guṇa Inquiry) — Meditation and Nirguṇa Realization
रुद्रादित्यवसूनां च तथान्येषां दिवौकसाम् | एते वै निरयास्तात स्थानस्य परमात्मन:
rudrādityavasūnāṁ ca tathānyeṣāṁ divaukasām | ete vai nirayās tāta sthānasya paramātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô mon enfant, même les royaumes célestes des Rudras, des Ādityas, des Vasus et des autres habitants du ciel ne valent, en comparaison de la demeure suprême du Paramātman, rien de mieux que l’enfer. Telle est l’incommensurable supériorité de la station suprême du Paramātman sur toutes les jouissances divines.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the highest heavenly attainments—realms of major gods and divine classes—are insignificant when set beside the Supreme Self’s ultimate abode. The verse urges a shift from seeking celestial pleasure to seeking the highest liberation-oriented goal.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on the highest aims of life. Here he emphasizes the transcendence of the परमात्मन्’s supreme station, using a stark comparison: all divine worlds appear like ‘hell’ when contrasted with that unsurpassed state.