Śarīrin, Buddhi, and the Limits of Sense-Perception (इन्द्रियबुद्धिशरीरिविचारः)
विचारश्न विवेकश्न वितर्कश्षोपजायते । मुने: समादधानस्य प्रथमं ध्यानमादितः,योगी जब ध्यानका आरम्भ करता है, तब पहले उसके मनमें ध्यानविषयक विचार, विवेक और वितर्क आदि प्रकट होते हैं
vicāraś ca vivekaś ca vitarkaś copajāyate | muneḥ samādhānasya prathamaṃ dhyānam āditaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Kapag sinimulan ng isang pantas na yogin ang pagsasanay ng pagninilay at tinipon ang isip tungo sa pagtuon, sa pinakaunang sandali pa lamang ay sumisibol ang mga galaw ng isip—gaya ng mapagnilay na pag-iisip, mapaghiwalay na pag-unawa, at masusing pagtalakay—na kaugnay ng paksa ng pagninilay. Ito ang unang yugto ng panloob na disiplina, kung saan unang natututo ang isip na lumihis mula sa pagkalat ng pansin tungo sa kaliwanagan.
भीष्म उवाच
At the beginning of meditation, the mind does not become silent immediately; it first produces structured mental activity—reflection (vicāra), discernment (viveka), and reasoning (vitarka). These are presented as natural early signs of concentration developing, guiding the practitioner toward clearer, ethically informed awareness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma is teaching about yogic practice. He describes the initial phase of a sage’s meditation: as the yogin starts to concentrate, certain cognitive processes arise around the meditation-object, indicating the mind’s transition from scattered thought to ordered contemplation.