Shloka 22
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
शनैन्विंदमादत्ते पापं कर्म जहाति च । धर्मात्मा चैव भवति मोक्ष च लभते परम्
śanaiḥ nirvindam ādatte pāpaṃ karma jahāti ca | dharmātmā caiva bhavati mokṣaṃ ca labhate param ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Peu à peu, l’homme adopte le détachement. Quand grandit en lui cette lassitude intérieure envers les poursuites mondaines, il renonce aux actes fautifs et devient voué au dharma. Alors, par des moyens justes—non par des procédés indignes ou tortueux—il s’efforce vers la délivrance et finit par atteindre le mokṣa suprême.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is reached through a gradual inner transformation: dispassion arises step by step, leading one to abandon sinful actions, become established in dharma, and then pursue mokṣa by worthy and proper means.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, describing how a seeker’s growing disenchantment with the perishable world results in ethical purification and culminates in supreme mokṣa.