Shloka 8
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
लिड्ञसंयोगहीनं यच्छब्दस्पर्शविवर्जितम् । श्रोत्रेण श्रवण चैव चक्षुषा चैव दर्शनम्
liṅgasaṁyogahīnaṁ yacchabdasparśavivarjitam | śrotreṇa śravaṇaṁ caiva cakṣuṣā caiva darśanam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ce qui est dépourvu de toute marque et de tout attribut, et libre du son comme du toucher—et pourtant, c’est par l’oreille que se fait l’audition, et par l’œil que se fait la vision.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma points to a subtle principle behind sensory experience: although sound and touch are objects, and hearing/seeing are functions, there is an underlying reality described as free from limiting marks (liṅga) and associations (saṁyoga). The verse contrasts the objectless, attributeless ground with the instrument-based operations of perception, encouraging discernment between the Self/principle and the senses.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues his philosophical counsel, explaining how perception works through sense-organs while indicating a higher, unconditioned reality beyond sensory qualities. The verse functions as part of a broader ethical-spiritual teaching aimed at cultivating detachment and right understanding.