Shloka 43
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
इति सम्यड्मनस्येते बहव: सन्ति हेतव: । एतदस्तीदमस्तीति न किज्वचित्प्रतिदृश्यते
iti samyaṅ-manasy ete bahavaḥ santi hetavaḥ | etad astīdam astīti na kiñcit kvacit pratidṛśyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ainsi, lorsque l’esprit se met à examiner, bien des raisonnements surgissent. Pourtant, de ces arguments et contre-arguments, on ne voit nulle part rien qui établisse de façon décisive : “cela existe” ou “cela n’existe pas”, surtout au sujet du Soi. Aussi ne faut-il pas prendre la simple dispute pour un véritable discernement.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights the limits of purely intellectual argument: many reasons can be produced on both sides, yet they may not yield decisive perception of truth—especially about the self. True understanding requires more than debate; it calls for deeper discernment and reliable means of knowledge.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma continues his philosophical counsel, cautioning that mental disputation generates numerous arguments but does not by itself settle the question of existence or non-existence (notably of the self).