Shloka 18
Adhyāya 241: Guṇa-sṛṣṭi, Kṣetrajña-sākṣitva, and Śama through Ātma-jñāna (गुणसृष्टिः, क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्षित्वं, शमः)
देवो यः संश्रितस्तस्मिन्नब्बिन्दुरिव पुष्करे । क्षेत्रज्ञ तं विजानीयान्नित्यं योगजितात्मकम्
devo yaḥ saṁśritas tasminn abbindur iva puṣkare | kṣetrajña taṁ vijānīyān nityaṁ yogajitātmakaṁ ||
Бхишма сказал: Самосветящийся божественный принцип, пребывающий в сердцах существ, остаётся незапятнанным — как капля воды на листе лотоса. Познай же эту реальность всегда как Кшетраджню (Знающего Поле): внутреннее Я, победившее посредством йоги и обуздавшее ум.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Recognize the inner Self as the Kṣetrajña—the pure witness dwelling in the heart—unstained by experiences, just as water does not cling to a lotus leaf. The verse emphasizes yogic mastery of the mind as a means to discern this non-attached consciousness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Bhishma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of the Self. He uses a vivid metaphor (water on a lotus leaf) to explain how the indwelling divine consciousness remains untouched by the body-mind field and should be known as the Kṣetrajña.