Shloka 11
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
त॑ं समासीनमागम्य कापिलं मण्डलं महत् | पञ्चस्रोतसि निष्णात: पज्चरात्रविशारद:
taṁ samāsīnam āgamya kāpilaṁ maṇḍalaṁ mahat | pañcasrotasi niṣṇātaḥ pañcarātraviśāradaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Nang si Āsuri ay nakaupo sa kanyang ashram, dumating ang isang dakilang kapulungan ng mga pantas na nakatuon sa aral ni Kapila. Kabilang sa kanila si Pañcaśikha—malalim ang pagsasanay sa limang daloy (mga galaw ng mga pandama at ng isip) at lubhang bihasa sa tradisyong Pañcarātra. Humingi sila ng aral tungkol sa di-nahahayag na realidad na nananahan sa bawat tao, at sa pinakamataas na katotohanang umaakay lampas sa anyo tungo sa tunay na paglaya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a quest for higher knowledge: sages approach a seated teacher to inquire into the avyakta (the unmanifest) and the supreme truth present within beings. It highlights disciplined expertise (niṣṇāta, viśārada) as a qualification for subtle inquiry, and it places Sāṅkhya (Kāpila) and Pañcarātra learning in a shared ethical-spiritual pursuit of liberation.
In Bhīṣma’s narration, Āsuri is seated in his hermitage when a large group of Kapila-aligned sages arrives. They request instruction about the inner, unmanifest principle and ultimate reality. Pañcaśikha is singled out as a distinguished member of the group, renowned for mastery over the ‘five streams’ and for expertise in Pañcarātra.