Shloka 4
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
नेत्रहीनो यथा होक: कृच्छाणि लभते<ध्वनि । ज्ञानहीनस्तथा लोके तस्माज्ज्ञानविदोडधिका:
netrahīno yathā loke kṛcchrāṇi labhate dhvani | jñānahīnas tathā loke tasmāj jñānavidho 'dhikāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De même qu’un homme privé de yeux, avançant seul sur la route, rencontre bien des épreuves, ainsi, en ce monde, l’homme dépourvu de connaissance doit endurer des souffrances de maintes sortes. C’est pourquoi le détenteur du savoir—le sage—est le premier entre tous.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignorance is like blindness: it makes one vulnerable to repeated hardship. Knowledge (jñāna) is presented as the highest aid for right living, hence the wise are called the foremost.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising on right conduct and the foundations of well-being, using a simple analogy (blind traveler) to stress the practical necessity of knowledge.