Shloka 176
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
यदि वाप्यस्पृशन्त्या मे स्पर्श जानासि कठ्चन । ज्ञानं कृतमबीजं ते कथं तेनेह भिक्षुणा
yadi vāpy aspṛśantyā me sparśaṁ jānāsi kaścana | jñānaṁ kṛtam abījaṁ te kathaṁ teneha bhikṣuṇā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Walaupun aku tidak menyentuhmu, jika engkau mendakwa tetap merasai sentuhanku entah bagaimana, maka aku harus bertanya: bagaimana mungkin pengembara suci itu, resi Pañcaśikha, pernah berjaya menyampaikan pengetahuan sejati kepadamu di sini? Kerana engkau telah menjadikan pengetahuan itu ‘tanpa benih’—tidak mampu berbuah—dengan berpaut pada semata-mata rasa dan sangkaan yang keliru.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma criticizes a mind that mistakes imagined sensation for reality. If one remains trapped in sensory fixation and confusion, even profound instruction becomes “abīja” (seedless)—it cannot mature into realization or ethical transformation.
Bhīṣma addresses an interlocutor who claims to feel ‘touch’ despite no contact. Using this as evidence of delusion, he questions how the ascetic teacher Pañcaśikha could have successfully transmitted liberating knowledge, since the listener’s misunderstanding has made that teaching fruitless.