Shloka 21

असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्

On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment

Devanagari script

दृश्यं पश्यति य: पश्यन्‌ स चनक्षुष्मान्‌ स बुद्धिमान्‌ | अज्ञातानां च विज्ञानात्‌ सम्बोधाद्‌ बुद्धिरुच्यते,जो स्वयं द्रष्टारूपसे पृथक्‌ रहकर इस दृश्य-प्रपंचको देखता है, वही आँखवाला है और वही बुद्धिमान है। अज्ञात तत्त्वोंका ज्ञान एवं सम्यग्‌ बोध करानेके कारण अन्त:करणकी एक वृत्तिको बुद्धि कहते हैं

Transliteration

dṛśyaṃ paśyati yaḥ paśyan sa ca cakṣuṣmān sa buddhimān | ajñātānāṃ ca vijñānāt sambodhād buddhir ucyate ||

Translation

ผู้ใดเมื่อเห็นแล้ว ย่อมเห็นโลกที่ปรากฏนี้อย่างแท้จริง โดยตั้งอยู่ต่างหากในฐานะ “สักขี” (พยานรู้) ผู้นั้นเท่านั้นชื่อว่ามีสายตาแท้และมีปัญญาแท้ เพราะทำให้สิ่งที่ไม่รู้กลายเป็นรู้ และก่อให้เกิดความตื่นรู้ที่ชัดเจน วฤตติอันหนึ่งของอันตะห์กรณะจึงเรียกว่า “พุทธิ” (buddhi—ปัญญาแยกแยะ)

Word by Word

• {'dṛśyam': 'the seen

• the objective field of experience, phenomena', 'paśyati': 'sees

• perceives', 'yaḥ': 'who', 'paśyan': 'while seeing

• even as one looks', 'sa': 'he

• that person', 'cakṣuṣmān': 'one who has eyes

• truly sighted (in the deeper sense)', 'buddhimān': 'intelligent

• endowed with discernment', 'ajñātānām': 'of the unknown (truths/principles)', 'vijñānāt': 'from/through knowing distinctly

• discriminative knowledge', 'sambodhāt': 'from/through right understanding

• awakening, clear comprehension', 'buddhiḥ': 'intellect

• a function of the inner instrument (antaḥkaraṇa)', 'ucyate': 'is called

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True ‘seeing’ is not mere sensory perception; it is the discernment that observes the entire field of phenomena while remaining established as the Witness (dṛṣṭā). Buddhi is defined as the inner faculty that makes the unknown known and produces clear, awakened understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on inner knowledge and right understanding, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a reflective definition of buddhi: the capacity to stand apart from the visible world and comprehend it correctly, thereby awakening insight into deeper truths.