Shloka 38
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
कि ते धनैर्बान्धवैर्वापि कि ते किं ते दारैब्राह्मण यो मरिष्यसि । आत्मानमन्विच्छ गुहां प्रविष्टं पितामहास्ते क्व गता: पिता च
ki te dhanair bāndhavair vāpi ki te kiṁ te dārair brāhmaṇa yo mariṣyasi | ātmānam anviccha guhāṁ praviṣṭaṁ pitāmahās te kva gatāḥ pitā ca ||
Bhīṣma dit : « À quoi te servent les richesses, ou même les proches ? À quoi te servent l’épouse et la maison, ô brāhmaṇa, puisque tu es voué à mourir ? Cherche le Soi entré dans la caverne du cœur. Réfléchis : où sont allés tes ancêtres, et où est ton père à présent ? »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma urges radical detachment grounded in mortality: since death is inevitable, external supports—wealth, relatives, and domestic life—cannot ultimately save or accompany one. Therefore one should turn inward and pursue ātma-jñāna, seeking the Self hidden in the ‘cave’ of the heart, remembering that even one’s ancestors have departed.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Bhīṣma delivers instruction to a brāhmaṇa, using a direct rhetorical challenge. He contrasts perishable worldly ties with the imperishable inner Self, and reinforces the point by invoking the example of the father and forefathers who have already ‘gone’—a contemplative prompt toward renunciation and self-inquiry.