Shloka 13
Doṣa-Parīkṣā and Guṇa-Viveka
Examination of Faults and Discernment of the Guṇas
मनस्त्वपद्ठतं पूर्वमिन्द्रियार्थनिदर्शकम् । न समक्षगुणापेक्षि निर्गुणस्य निदर्शकम्
manas tv apahṛtaṁ pūrvam indriyārtha-nidarśakam | na samakṣa-guṇāpekṣi nirguṇasya nidarśakam ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—इंद्रियविषय दाखविणारे मन जर आधीच त्या विषयांकडे ओढले गेले असेल, तर विषयगुणांवर अवलंबून असलेले ते मन निर्गुण तत्त्वाचे प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन घडवू शकत नाही।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A mind habituated to sense-objects remains dependent on their qualities and therefore cannot disclose the attributeless (nirguṇa) Reality; inner withdrawal and mastery of the senses are prerequisites for higher realization.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by explaining a psychological obstacle to spiritual knowledge: the mind, when already drawn outward by sensory engagement, is unfit to give direct insight into the nirguṇa principle.