Shloka 32
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
श्रीत्रं व्योमाश्रितं भूतं शब्द: श्रोत्रं समाश्रित: । नोभयं शब्दविज्ञाने विज्ञानस्येतरस्य वा,शब्दका आधार श्रोत्रेन्द्रिय है और श्रोत्रेन्द्रियका आधार आकाश है; अतः वह आकाशरूप ही है। ऐसी स्थितिमें शब्दका अनुभव करते समय आकाश और श्रोत्र--ये दोनों ही ज्ञान अथवा अज्ञानके विषय नहीं होते हैं-
śrotraṁ vyomāśritaṁ bhūtaṁ śabdaḥ śrotraṁ samāśritaḥ | nobhayaṁ śabdavijñāne vijñānasyetarasya vā ||
श्रोत्रं व्योमाश्रितं भूतं शब्दः श्रोत्रं समाश्रितः। नोभयं शब्दविज्ञाने विज्ञानस्येतरस्य वा॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In perceiving sound, the ear and space are not themselves the objects known; they are the supporting conditions. This encourages discrimination between (1) the object perceived (sound) and (2) the instruments/grounds that enable perception (ear and space), a step toward non-confusion and detachment in self-knowledge.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues a philosophical analysis of perception and the elements. He explains the dependence-chain—sound depends on the ear, and the ear depends on space—to clarify how experience arises without making its supports into the direct content of cognition.