Shloka 12
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभियर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृहते
mṛgair mṛgāṇāṃ grahaṇaṃ pakṣiṇāṃ pakṣibhir yathā | gajānāṃ ca gajair eva jñeyaṃ jñānena gṛhyate ||
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—જેમ હરણ હરણથી, પક્ષી પક્ષીથી અને હાથી હાથીથી પકડાય છે; તેમ જ જે જ્ઞેય છે તે જ્ઞાનથી જ ગ્રહણ થાય છે. યોગ્ય ઉપાય વિના કોઈ હેતુ સિદ્ધ થતો નથી; યોગ્ય સાધન જ ઇચ્છિત ફળ આપે છે।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A goal is achieved only through an appropriate means: just as specific creatures are best caught using their own kind as bait or instrument, the knowable is apprehended only through knowledge. The verse stresses fitness of method (upāya-yogyatā) and the primacy of jñāna for understanding.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and effective governance. Here he uses vivid analogies from hunting and capture to illustrate a general principle: success—especially in understanding and in practical affairs—depends on choosing the right instrument or method.