Shloka 12
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभियर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृहते
mṛgair mṛgāṇāṃ grahaṇaṃ pakṣiṇāṃ pakṣibhir yathā | gajānāṃ ca gajair eva jñeyaṃ jñānena gṛhyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De même que les cerfs sont pris par des cerfs, les oiseaux par des oiseaux et les éléphants par des éléphants, de même ce qui doit être connu n’est saisi que par la connaissance. Nul dessein ne s’accomplit sans recourir à un moyen approprié ; seul l’instrument juste garantit le résultat visé.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A goal is achieved only through an appropriate means: just as specific creatures are best caught using their own kind as bait or instrument, the knowable is apprehended only through knowledge. The verse stresses fitness of method (upāya-yogyatā) and the primacy of jñāna for understanding.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and effective governance. Here he uses vivid analogies from hunting and capture to illustrate a general principle: success—especially in understanding and in practical affairs—depends on choosing the right instrument or method.