Shloka 66
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
तलवद्ू दृश्यते व्योम खद्योतो हव्यवाडिव । न चैवास्ति तल॑ व्योम्नि खद्योते न हुताशन:
talavad dṛśyate vyoma khadyoto havyavāḍ iva | na caivāsti talaṁ vyomni khadyote na hutāśanaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang langit ay tila panloob na ibabaw ng kawaling nakataob, at ang alitaptap ay nakikitang wari’y apoy. Ngunit sa katotohanan, walang ‘ilalim ng kawali’ sa langit, at walang tunay na apoy sa alitaptap.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma illustrates how appearances can mislead: the mind projects form and substance where none truly exist. Like the sky seeming to have a ‘surface’ and a firefly seeming to contain fire, many worldly judgments mistake seeming for being; ethical discernment requires seeing beyond mere appearance.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on right understanding and conduct. Here he uses two everyday images—sky and firefly—to clarify a philosophical point about illusion and misapprehension, supporting the broader counsel on wise discrimination in dharma.