Shloka 10
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
आयुषश्नच परं कालं॑ लोके विज्ञाय तत्त्वत: । सुखस्य च परं तत्त्वं विज्ञाय वदतां वर
bhīṣma uvāca | āyuṣaś ca paraṃ kālaṃ loke vijñāya tattvataḥ | sukhasya ca paraṃ tattvaṃ vijñāya vadatāṃ vara ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô le meilleur des orateurs, celui qui a véritablement discerné en ce monde la limite suprême de la vie et du temps, et qui a compris aussi le principe le plus élevé du bonheur, devient capable de juger l’expérience telle qu’elle est : il voit la portée et les limites des jouissances mondaines, et tourne son intelligence vers la voie qui mène au-delà de la souffrance.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom begins with realistic discernment: understanding the limits of lifespan and time, and grasping what happiness ultimately is. This insight supports ethical clarity and motivates a shift from transient sense-pleasures toward liberating knowledge (jñāna) and disciplined practice (yoga).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and liberation-oriented wisdom. Here he frames the discussion by praising the knower who has correctly understood time, mortality, and the highest principle of happiness—setting the stage for deeper analysis of worldly experience and the paths of sāṅkhya and yoga.