Shloka 9
Adhyāya 241: Guṇa-sṛṣṭi, Kṣetrajña-sākṣitva, and Śama through Ātma-jñāna (गुणसृष्टिः, क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्षित्वं, शमः)
कर्म त्वेके प्रशंसन्ति स्वल्पबुद्धिरता नरा: । तेन ते देहजालानि रमयन्त उपासते,“अधूरे ज्ञानमें आसक्त अर्थात् इन्द्रियज्ञानको ही ज्ञान माननेवाले कुछ मनुष्य सकामकर्मकी प्रशंसा करते हैं, इसलिये वे भोगासक्त होकर बारंबार विभिन्न शरीरोंमें आनन्द मानकर उनका सेवन करते हैं
karma tv eke praśaṃsanti svalpabuddhiratā narāḥ | tena te dehajālāni ramayanta upāsate |
Disse Bhishma: Alguns homens, de entendimento pequeno e incompleto, louvam apenas a ação (karma). Por isso, deleitando-se na teia das existências corporificadas, apegam-se a esses corpos e os buscam repetidas vezes—tomando o saber dos sentidos por todo o saber e permanecendo presos ao gozo e aos seus frutos.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that praising karma alone—especially desire-motivated action—reflects limited understanding. When one mistakes sensory cognition for true knowledge, one becomes attached to enjoyment and thereby remains bound to repeated embodied existence (a ‘web of bodies’).
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented wisdom, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira. Here he contrasts shallow endorsement of result-seeking action with a deeper perspective that sees attachment as the cause of continued bondage and repeated embodiment.