Shloka 12
इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्
Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes
यच्छेद् वाड्मनसी बुद्धया तां यच्छेज्ज्ञानचक्षुषा । ज्ञानमात्मावबोधेन यच्छेदात्मानमात्मना
yacched vāḍmanasī buddhyā tāṁ yacchej jñānacakṣuṣā | jñānam ātmāvabodhena yacched ātmānam ātmanā ||
भीष्म बोले—बुद्धि के द्वारा वाणी और मन को संयमित करे; और उस बुद्धि को ज्ञान-चक्षु से नियंत्रित करे। ज्ञान को आत्मबोध से स्थिर करे; और अंत में आत्मा को आत्मा के द्वारा वश में करे।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A graded inner discipline: control speech and mind through buddhi (discernment), refine buddhi through jñāna (true insight), stabilize jñāna through direct self-awakening (ātmāvabodha), and ultimately let the Self govern the self—so restraint becomes liberation-oriented, not merely suppression.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. This verse occurs in a teaching sequence emphasizing inner mastery—how a ruler or seeker should cultivate self-governance as the foundation for ethical life and lasting tranquility.