Shloka 29
अग्नीषोमोत्पत्तिः
Agni–Soma Origin and the Brahmāgnīṣomīya Doctrine
आदर्शे स्वामिव च्छायां पश्यस्यात्मानमात्मना | व्यस्यात्मनि स्वयं वेदान् बुद्धया समनुचिन्तय
ādarśe svām iva chāyāṁ paśyasy ātmānam ātmanā | vyasyātmani svayaṁ vedān buddhayā samanucintaya |
Bhīṣma disse: “Assim como alguém vê o próprio reflexo num espelho, assim deves perceber o Si (Ātman) pelo próprio Si—por meio de uma inteligência límpida. Portanto, estabelece os Vedas dentro do teu ser e, com o intelecto, reflete cuidadosamente sobre o sutil ‘vento’ (vāyu), que se torna causa do não-estudo e da dispersão.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-realization is to be approached as directly and clearly as seeing one’s reflection in a mirror: by turning discerning intelligence (buddhi) inward. One should internalize sacred knowledge (the Vedas) and then contemplate the subtle forces—symbolized by vāyu (restless movement/prāṇa)—that disturb steadiness and lead to interruption of study and inner clarity.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener in a reflective, renunciant mode of dharma: he uses an everyday image (mirror and reflection) to explain inward perception of the Self, and he advises disciplined contemplation on factors that obstruct learning and spiritual practice, framed here as the ‘wind’ associated with distraction and anadhyāya (cessation of study).