Shloka 26
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
पृथक्त्वात् सम्प्रयोगाच्च नासूयुरवेद शाश्वतम् । स तयोरपवर्गज्ञो वीतरागो विमुच्यते
pṛthaktvāt samprayogāc ca nāsūyur aveda śāśvatam | sa tayor apavargajño vītarāgo vimucyate ||
पृथक्त्वात् सम्प्रयोगाच्च नासूयुरवेद शाश्वतम् । स तयोरपवर्गज्ञो वीतरागो विमुच्यते ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not criticize the śāstra when it presents both difference and unity between jīva and the Supreme; understand their intended purport together. One who grasps this synthesis knows the truth of liberation (apavarga) and, becoming free from attachment (vītarāga), is freed from saṃsāra.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about liberation-oriented wisdom. Here he addresses how to read seemingly divergent scriptural statements—difference versus union—without fault-finding, and how correct understanding leads to detachment and release.