Shloka 12
Yoga, Nārāyaṇa as Supreme Principle, and the Emanation of Categories
Sāṅkhya-Yoga Outline
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभियर्यथा । गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृहते
mṛgair mṛgāṇāṃ grahaṇaṃ pakṣiṇāṃ pakṣibhir yathā | gajānāṃ ca gajair eva jñeyaṃ jñānena gṛhyate ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kung paanong ang usa ay nahuhuli sa pamamagitan ng usa, ang ibon sa pamamagitan ng ibon, at ang elepante sa pamamagitan ng elepante, gayon din ang dapat makilala ay nahahawakan lamang sa pamamagitan ng kaalaman. Walang layuning natutupad kung hindi gagamit ng angkop na paraan; ang wastong kasangkapan lamang ang nagtitiyak ng ninanais na bunga.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A goal is achieved only through an appropriate means: just as specific creatures are best caught using their own kind as bait or instrument, the knowable is apprehended only through knowledge. The verse stresses fitness of method (upāya-yogyatā) and the primacy of jñāna for understanding.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and effective governance. Here he uses vivid analogies from hunting and capture to illustrate a general principle: success—especially in understanding and in practical affairs—depends on choosing the right instrument or method.