Shloka 22
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
पुरुषे तिष्ठती बुद्धिस्त्रिषु भावेषु वर्तते । कदाचिल्लभते प्रीतिं कदाचिदनुशोचति
puruṣe tiṣṭhatī buddhis triṣu bhāveṣu vartate | kadācillabhate prītiṃ kadācid anuśocati
पुरुषे तिष्ठती बुद्धिस्त्रिषु भावेषु वर्तते । कदाचिल्लभते प्रीतिं कदाचिदनुशोचति ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The intellect (buddhi) is not uniformly steady; it cycles through three experiential conditions and therefore alternates between joy (prīti) and grief (anuśoca). The ethical implication is to cultivate discernment and steadiness rather than letting conduct be driven by shifting emotional states.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he describes the mind/intellect’s changing movements—sometimes pleased, sometimes sorrowful—as part of a broader teaching on self-mastery and equanimity.