Shloka 6
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
तन्नः कार्य पक्षिवर प्रशाधि यत् कार्याणां मन्यसे श्रेष्ठमेकम् । यत् कृत्वा वै पुरुष: सर्वबन्धै- विमुच्यते विहगेन्द्रेह शीघ्रम्ू
tan naḥ kārya pakṣivara praśādhi yat kāryāṇāṁ manyase śreṣṭham ekam | yat kṛtvā vai puruṣaḥ sarvabandhair vimucyate vihagendreha śīghram ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó melhor das aves, instrui-nos no que deve ser feito—dize-nos o único ato que consideras o mais elevado entre todos os deveres. Ao realizá-lo, uma pessoa é rapidamente libertada aqui mesmo, ó senhor das aves, de toda espécie de laços.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central ethical-spiritual inquiry: among all possible duties, what single practice is supreme and leads to swift freedom from all forms of bondage. It emphasizes prioritizing the highest dharma that culminates in liberation (mokṣa).
Bhīṣma addresses a revered “lord of birds,” requesting instruction. He asks the bird-sage to identify the one best course of action—above all other duties—by which a person can be quickly released from worldly bonds in this very life.