Shloka 17
Śraddhā–Guṇa–Vibhāga Yoga (Faith and the Three Guṇas) — Mahābhārata Book 6, Chapter 39
ज्योतिषामपि तज्ज्योतिस्तमस:* परमुच्यते । ज्ञान॑ ज्ञेयं? ज्ञानगम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य विछ्ठितम्,वह परब्रह्म ज्योतियोंका भी ज्योति एवं मायासे अत्यन्त परे कहा जाता है। वह परमात्मा बोधस्वरूप, जाननेके योग्य एवं तत्त्वज्ञानसे प्राप्त करनेयोग्यः है और सबके हृदयमें विशेषरूपसे स्थित है?
jyotiṣām api taj jyotis tamasaḥ param ucyate | jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñānagamyaṁ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam ||
Arjuna said: That Reality is called the Light even of all lights, and it is declared to be beyond darkness. It is knowledge itself, the object to be known, and that which is reached through true knowledge; it abides, in a special way, in the heart of every being. Ethically, the verse shifts the warrior’s attention from outward conflict to inner discernment: the highest aim is not mere victory, but awakening to the indwelling Supreme that guides right action beyond ignorance.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Supreme Reality is the ultimate illumination—beyond ignorance—described as knowledge itself, the object of knowledge, and the goal reached by knowledge; it dwells within the heart of all beings, making inner realization the foundation for right action.
In the Bhishma Parva’s spiritual instruction context, Arjuna speaks in the mode of inquiry and affirmation about the highest principle, turning the focus from battlefield outcomes to the indwelling Supreme that must be known to act with clarity and dharma.