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 ||
பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்—அறிவால் வாக்கையும் மனத்தையும் அடக்க வேண்டும்; அந்த அறிவையே உண்மைஞானக் கண் கொண்டு கட்டுப்படுத்த வேண்டும். ஞானத்தை ஆத்மபோதத்தால் நிலைநிறுத்த வேண்டும்; இறுதியில் ஆத்மாவை ஆத்மாவினாலேயே வெல்ல வேண்டும்.
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.