Shanti Parva Adhyaya 198 Shloka 10 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 10

मनस्–बुद्धि–गुणविचारः (Manas–Buddhi–Guṇa Inquiry) — Meditation and Nirguṇa Realization

Devanagari script

आत्मकेवलतां प्राप्तस्तत्र गत्वा न शोचति । ईदृशं परमं स्थान निरयास्ते च तादृशा:

Transliteration

ātmakevalatāṃ prāptas tatra gatvā na śocati | īdṛśaṃ paramaṃ sthānaṃ nirayās te ca tādṛśāḥ ||

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: “ຜູ້ໃດບັນລຸອາດມະໄກວັນຍະ (ātma-kaivalya) ຄືຄວາມໂດດດ່ຽວອັນບໍລິສຸດແຫ່ງອາດມະ, ເມື່ອໄປຮອດທີ່ນັ້ນແລ້ວ ຍ່ອມບໍ່ໂສກເສົ້າ. ນີ້ແມ່ນລັກສະນະຂອງອາພອດອັນສູງສຸດ; ແລະເມື່ອທຽບກັບມັນ ໂລກທັງຫຼາຍທີ່ເຄີຍກ່າວວ່າເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍຄວາມສຸກນານາ ກໍແທ້ຈິງເປັນດັ່ງນະລົກ.”

Word by Word

आत्मकैवलताम्self-alone-ness; absolute self-isolation (kaivalya-state)

प्राप्तःhaving attained

तत्रthere

गत्वाhaving gone

नnot

शोचतिgrieves

ईदृशम्such; of this kind

परमम्supreme

स्थानम्place; abode

निरयाःhells

तेthose

चand

तादृशाःof that kind; such (as described)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

paramaṃ sthānam (the supreme abode/state)

niraya (hell)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True freedom from grief arises only upon attaining ātma-kaivalya—abidance in the Self as the highest reality. Compared to that supreme state, even pleasure-filled heavenly experiences are inferior and are rhetorically likened to hell because they remain within change, dependence, and eventual loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues teaching about the highest goal. He contrasts the sorrowless peace of the supreme state with the limited nature of pleasure-based worlds, emphasizing the superiority of liberation over enjoyment.