Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
तदेव च यथा सूत्र सुवर्णे वर्तते पुनः । मुक्तास्वथ प्रवालेषु मृन्मये राजते तथा
tadeva ca yathā sūtraṃ suvarṇe vartate punaḥ | muktāsv atha pravāleṣu mṛṇmaye rājate tathā ||
ビーシュマは言った。「まさに同じ糸が、ふたたび黄金の中にも通っているのが見いだされる。真珠や珊瑚の間にあってもそれは輝き、また土の珠の中にあっても同様である。かくのごとく、根底にある唯一の原理は、さまざまな形相と境遇に現れながらも同一であり、外なる媒介によってその価値は損なわれない。」
भीष्म उवाच
A single underlying essence or principle remains the same across different external forms and circumstances—like one thread that can be seen in gold, pearls, coral, or even clay—so ethical truth should be sought in the inner continuity rather than judged by outward appearance.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction by using a vivid material metaphor: he points to a thread that can be strung through precious and non-precious substances alike, illustrating how one principle can pervade varied contexts without changing in itself.