Shloka 23
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
दृश्यमाने विनाशे च प्रत्यक्षे लोकसाक्षिके । आगमात् परमस्तीति ब्रुवन्नपि पराजित:
dṛśyamāne vināśe ca pratyakṣe lokasākṣike | āgamāt paramastīti bruvann api parājitaḥ ||
“Bila kebinasaan tampak secara langsung dan seluruh dunia menjadi saksi, namun seseorang tetap berargumen—berlindung pada otoritas śāstra—bahwa ada kenyataan tertinggi (atau diri) di luar yang tampak, maka di mata sang skeptik ia dianggap kalah, sebab ucapannya tampak bertentangan dengan pengalaman umum.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic epistemic conflict: skeptics privilege direct perception (pratyakṣa) and public experience (loka-sākṣika), and therefore claim victory over anyone who argues for a reality beyond the body on the basis of scripture (āgama). Bhīṣma is highlighting how arguments for the ātman or a ‘supreme’ principle can be challenged when they appear to contradict common observation.
In Śānti Parva’s post-war instruction, Bhīṣma discusses dharma and philosophical viewpoints. Here he articulates how a nāstika (skeptical/denialist) would argue: since bodily death is directly seen and universally witnessed, scriptural claims of a distinct self beyond the body are dismissed as losing against worldly experience.