Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
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ātmany evātmanā ātmānaṃ yathā tvam anupaśyasi | evam evātmanā ātmānam anyasmin kiṃ na paśyasi ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Sebagaimana engkau menyaksikan Sang Diri (Ātman) di dalam dirimu sendiri melalui kesadaran batinmu, mengapa dengan cara yang sama engkau tidak menyaksikan Ātman itu juga di dalam diri orang lain?”
भीष्य उवाच
The verse teaches ethical universalism grounded in ātma-jñāna: if one can recognize the Self within oneself, one should extend the same recognition to others, which supports compassion, restraint, and fair conduct.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener on dharma and right conduct after the war; here he challenges the listener’s inconsistency—seeing the Self within oneself but failing to acknowledge the same Self in other beings.