Shloka 5
Śīla-prāpti and Śīla-lakṣaṇa (शीलप्राप्ति-शीललक्षणम्) | On the Acquisition and Marks of Character
विषयाश्नैव कार्त्स्नयेन सर्व आहारसिद्धये । मूलमेतत् त्रिवर्गस्य निवृत्तिमोक्ष उच्यते
viṣayāś caiva kārtsnyena sarva āhāra-siddhaye | mūlam etat trivargasya nivṛtti-mokṣa ucyate ||
Bhishma berkata: “Objek-objek indera, seluruhnya, wujud untuk memenuhi segala bentuk ‘penggunaan’ dan kepuasan. Inilah akar bagi tiga tujuan hidup—dharma, artha, dan kāma. Berpaling daripada pergantungan pada objek-objek indera itulah yang dinamakan ‘mokṣa’ (pembebasan).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma identifies sense-objects (viṣaya) as the underlying basis that fuels the three worldly aims—dharma, artha, and kāma—because they culminate in experience and enjoyment. Liberation (mokṣa) is defined here as nivṛtti: a decisive turning away from dependence on sense-gratification.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the goals of life and the path beyond them. This verse frames mokṣa not as another worldly achievement, but as withdrawal from the very engine of worldly striving—attachment to sense-objects.