Shloka 10
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
शास्त्र यदि भवेदेकं श्रेयो व्यक्ते भवेत् तदा । शास्त्रैश्व बहुभिर्भूय: श्रेयो गुहां प्रवेशितम्
śāstra yadi bhaved ekaṃ śreyo vyakte bhavet tadā | śāstraiś ca bahubhir bhūyaḥ śreyo guhāṃ praveśitam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «S’il n’existait qu’un seul enseignement faisant autorité, la voie vers le bien suprême apparaîtrait clairement. Mais parce que de nombreux śāstra parlent de multiples façons, ce bien suprême a été repoussé dans une caverne : il est devenu extrêmement caché et difficile à discerner.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights a problem of plurality: when many śāstras present differing formulations, the seeker may find the highest good (śreyas) harder to identify. The verse urges discernment—separating the essential aim from competing presentations.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the means to true welfare. Here he remarks that the abundance of scriptural teachings can obscure rather than clarify the path, making śreyas seem hidden like something placed in a cave.