Shloka 44
आश्रयो नास्ति सत्त्वस्य क्षेत्रज्ञस्य च कश्षन | सत्त्वं मनः संसृजते न गुणान् वै कदाचन
āśrayo nāsti sattvasya kṣetrajñasya ca kaścana | sattvaṁ manaḥ saṁsṛjate na guṇān vai kadācana ||
ビーシュマは言った。内なる存在（サットヴァ）には外の支えはなく、田を知る者（クシェートラジュニャ）にもまた他の避難所はない。心はサットヴァの諸状態を作り出し投影するが、グナそのものに直接触れることは決してない。この教えは内なる自立を示す。解脱は外の拠り所にしがみついて得られるのではなく、心の構成と性質の戯れから離れて、証人たる自己を見分けることによって得られる。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the true witness (kṣetrajña) and the inner principle (sattva) do not depend on external supports; what appears as inner states is constructed by mind, while the self remains distinct from the guṇas. Ethically, it points to steadiness and non-dependence: cultivate discernment (viveka) so one is not driven by shifting qualities and mental projections.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. Here he turns to a philosophical explanation aligned with Sāṅkhya-style analysis, distinguishing the witnessing knower (kṣetrajña) from mind and the guṇas, to guide the king toward inner clarity and liberation-oriented conduct.