Shloka 17
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
न चैवमिष्यते ब्रह्म शरीराश्रयसम्भवम् । न यत्नसाध्यं तद् ब्रह्म नादिमध्यं न चान्तवत्
na caivamiṣyate brahma śarīrāśrayasambhavam | na yatnasādhyaṃ tad brahma nādimadhyaṃ na cāntavat ||
Bhishma berkata: Brahman tidak patut dipahami sebagai sesuatu yang lahir dari sandaran jasmani atau bergantung pada tubuh. Brahman itu bukan sesuatu yang dicapai semata-mata oleh upaya seperti hasil buatan; Ia tanpa awal dan tanpa pertengahan, dan bukan pula sesuatu yang berakhir.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahman is not a product of the body or any material support, nor a finite achievement manufactured by effort; it is beginningless, not bounded by temporal stages (beginning/middle/end), and not subject to cessation.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and highest reality, Bhīṣma continues his philosophical teaching, correcting misconceptions that the absolute arises from the body or is merely an outcome of strenuous practice, and instead characterizes Brahman as eternal and unconditioned.