Shloka 166
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
तस्य ते मुक्तसड्रस्य पाशानाक्रम्य तिष्ठतः । छत्रादिषु विशेषेषु पुन: सड़: कथ्थ नृप
tasya te muktasaṅgasya pāśān ākrāmya tiṣṭhataḥ | chatrādiṣu viśeṣeṣu punaḥ saṅgaḥ kathaṃ nṛpa ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, tu as entendu l’enseignement complet de la délivrance — ses moyens et sa certitude — et tu te tiens désormais sans attachement, ayant foulé aux pieds les liens. Comment l’attachement pourrait-il donc renaître pour des distinctions royales particulières, telles que le parasol et d’autres insignes ?»
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True liberation is marked by freedom from attachment; once one has understood and internalized the path to mokṣa, clinging to status-symbols (like royal insignia) is inconsistent with that realization.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma admonishes the king: having learned the doctrine of release and having ‘trampled the bonds,’ why does he still feel attraction toward royal privileges and external marks of sovereignty?