Shloka 20
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
सर्वगात्रप्रतायिन्यस्तस्या हानुगता: शिरा: । नेत्रयो: प्रतिपद्यन्ते वहन्त्यस्तैजसं गुणम्,उस नाड़ीके पीछे चलनेवाली और सम्पूर्ण शरीरमें फैली हुई अन्य नाड़ियाँ तैजस-गुणरूप ग्रहणकी शक्तिको वहन करती हुई नेत्रोंतक पहुँचती हैं
sarvagātrapratāyinīyāḥ tasyā hānugatāḥ śirāḥ | netrayoḥ pratipadyante vahantyās taijasaṁ guṇam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Saluran-saluran (nāḍī) yang mengikuti di belakang saluran utama itu dan merebak ke seluruh tubuh bergerak menuju mata, sambil membawa sifat ‘berapi’—yakni daya menangkap dan mempersepsi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Perception is explained as a function supported by subtle bodily channels: the ‘fiery’ principle (tejas) is said to be conveyed through the body’s conduits to the eyes, enabling grasping/seeing. The verse frames sense-function as grounded in an underlying psycho-physical order rather than mere surface appearance.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhīṣma is describing how sensory cognition operates. He outlines how channels spreading through the body, following a principal pathway, reach the eyes while bearing the taijasa quality that empowers perception.