Shloka 22
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
शनैन्विंदमादत्ते पापं कर्म जहाति च । धर्मात्मा चैव भवति मोक्ष च लभते परम्
śanaiḥ nirvindam ādatte pāpaṃ karma jahāti ca | dharmātmā caiva bhavati mokṣaṃ ca labhate param ||
Bhishma berkata: “Sedikit demi sedikit, seseorang mengambil vairāgya. Apabila kejenuhan batin terhadap kejaran duniawi semakin kuat, dia meninggalkan perbuatan berdosa dan menjadi insan yang berbakti kepada dharma. Kemudian, melalui cara yang benar—bukan dengan helah yang hina atau jalan yang bengkok—dia berusaha untuk pembebasan dan akhirnya mencapai mokṣa yang tertinggi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is reached through a gradual inner transformation: dispassion arises step by step, leading one to abandon sinful actions, become established in dharma, and then pursue mokṣa by worthy and proper means.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, describing how a seeker’s growing disenchantment with the perishable world results in ethical purification and culminates in supreme mokṣa.