Shloka 12
इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्
Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes
यच्छेद् वाड्मनसी बुद्धया तां यच्छेज्ज्ञानचक्षुषा । ज्ञानमात्मावबोधेन यच्छेदात्मानमात्मना
yacched vāḍmanasī buddhyā tāṁ yacchej jñānacakṣuṣā | jñānam ātmāvabodhena yacched ātmānam ātmanā ||
भीष्म उवाच—वाङ्मनसी बुद्ध्या यच्छेत्; तां बुद्धिं ज्ञानचक्षुषा यच्छेत्। ज्ञानमात्मावबोधेन यच्छेत्; आत्मानमात्मना यच्छेत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A graded inner discipline: control speech and mind through buddhi (discernment), refine buddhi through jñāna (true insight), stabilize jñāna through direct self-awakening (ātmāvabodha), and ultimately let the Self govern the self—so restraint becomes liberation-oriented, not merely suppression.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. This verse occurs in a teaching sequence emphasizing inner mastery—how a ruler or seeker should cultivate self-governance as the foundation for ethical life and lasting tranquility.