Shloka 12
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
अयत्नसाध्यं मुनयो वदन्ति ये चापि मुक्तास्त उपासितव्या: । त्वया च लोकेन च सामरेण तस्मान्नमस्यामि महर्षिसड्घान्
ayatna-sādhyaṃ munayo vadanti ye cāpi muktās ta upāsitavyāḥ | tvayā ca lokena ca sāmareṇa tasmān namasyāmi maharṣi-saṅghān ||
เหล่ามุนีกล่าวว่า การบรรลุพรหมันมิได้สำเร็จด้วยความเพียรในกิจภายนอกเพียงอย่างเดียว เพราะฉะนั้นท่าน—และโลกทั้งปวงพร้อมด้วยเหล่าเทพ—พึงเคารพอุปถัมภ์ผู้เป็นชีวนมุกตะ; ด้วยเหตุนั้นข้าพเจ้าขอนอบน้อมต่อหมู่มหาฤษี
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation (Brahman-realization) is not secured by external, action-based striving alone; one should seek guidance and cultivate reverence for realized sages (especially jīvanmuktas), whose presence and instruction orient the seeker toward true knowledge and inner freedom.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and emphasizes the authority of sages: he cites their view on the nature of liberation and concludes by offering homage to the community of great ṛṣis, presenting them as exemplars and worthy objects of upāsanā.