Shloka 13
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
इष्टसत्रेण संसिद्धों भूयश्व॒ तपसा55सुरि: । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोव्र्यक्ति बुबुधे देवदर्शन:
iṣṭasatreṇa saṃsiddho bhūyaś ca tapasa āsuriḥ | kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor vyaktiṃ bubudhe deva-darśanaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Dengan mencapai kesempurnaan melalui satra yang sejati—yakni kurban pengetahuan—dan sekali lagi melalui tapa, Āsuri yang berpenglihatan ilahi memahami dengan terang perbedaan antara ‘medan’ (kṣetra) dan ‘sang pengenal medan’ (kṣetrajña).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom is the clear discrimination between kṣetra (the changing body-mind field) and kṣetrajña (the conscious knower). Such discernment is gained through disciplined tapas and the ‘sacrifice’ of knowledge—an inner, ethical-spiritual practice rather than mere external ritual.
Bhishma cites the sage Asuri as an exemplar: through successful sacred practice and austerity, Asuri attains divine vision and realizes the distinction between the experiential realm and the witnessing self, reinforcing the Shanti Parva’s instruction on liberation-oriented understanding.