Shloka 168
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
अथापीमासु संज्ञासु लौकिकीषु प्रतिष्ठसे । अभिषड्जवरोधाभ्यां बद्धस्त्वं प्राकृतो यथा
athāpīmāsu saṃjñāsu laukikīṣu pratiṣṭhase | abhiṣaḍjavirodhābhyāṃ baddhastvaṃ prākṛto yathā ||
Même à présent, si tu demeures établi dans ces appellations mondaines—telles que « roi de Videha » ou « seigneur de Mithilā »—alors tu es lié, comme un homme ordinaire, par l’attachement et par la résistance (l’aversion).
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that clinging to social identities and honorific titles is a subtle form of bondage. True inner freedom requires dropping identification with worldly labels, otherwise one remains constrained by attachment (clinging) and resistance (aversion/obstruction).
In Bhīṣma’s instruction within Śānti Parva’s reflective teachings, he addresses a seeker/kingly figure and challenges their self-conception. By pointing to titles like ‘Videha-rāja’ and ‘Mithilā-pati,’ he shows how even respected identities can keep the mind tied to ordinary patterns of desire and aversion.