Shloka 8
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
अद्वैधज्ञ: पथि द्वैधे संशयं प्राप्तुमहति | बुद्धिद्वेधं वेदितव्यं पुरस्तादेव भारत
Bhīṣma uvāca: advaidhajñaḥ pathi dvaidhe saṁśayaṁ prāptum arhati | buddhidvaidhyaṁ veditavyaṁ purastād eva bhārata ||
Orang yang tidak memahami asas adwaita—yakni melihat melampaui pertentangan yang tampak—akan mudah jatuh ke dalam keraguan ketika sampai pada jalan yang menawarkan dua pilihan. Karena itu, wahai Bharata, kenalilah lebih dahulu kedwiannya budi: kecenderungannya membelah dan bimbang; sebab satu perbuatan yang sama dapat tampak sebagai dharma pada satu keadaan dan sebagai adharma pada keadaan lain.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical life often presents ‘dvaidhya’—cases where the same act can be judged dharma in one context and adharma in another. If one has not understood this and trained one’s discernment, one will become trapped in doubt at critical moments. Hence Bhishma urges recognizing the intellect’s tendency to waver and preparing clarity beforehand.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhisthira on dharma after the war. Here he warns that practical moral life is not always straightforward; when confronted with conflicting duties, an unprepared person becomes uncertain. Bhishma advises Yudhisthira to understand this duality of judgment in advance.