Shloka 12
इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्
Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes
यच्छेद् वाड्मनसी बुद्धया तां यच्छेज्ज्ञानचक्षुषा । ज्ञानमात्मावबोधेन यच्छेदात्मानमात्मना
yacched vāḍmanasī buddhyā tāṁ yacchej jñānacakṣuṣā | jñānam ātmāvabodhena yacched ātmānam ātmanā ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Dapat pigilan ang pananalita at isip sa pamamagitan ng talino; at ang talinong iyon naman ay dapat pamahalaan ng “mata ng tunay na kaalaman.” Ang kaalaman ay dapat patatagin sa pamamagitan ng tuwirang paggising sa sarili; at sa huli, ang sarili ay dapat mapagharian ng Sarili—upang ang panloob na disiplina ay humantong sa panloob na kalayaan, hindi lamang sa panlabas na pagpipigil.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A graded inner discipline: control speech and mind through buddhi (discernment), refine buddhi through jñāna (true insight), stabilize jñāna through direct self-awakening (ātmāvabodha), and ultimately let the Self govern the self—so restraint becomes liberation-oriented, not merely suppression.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path to peace after the war. This verse occurs in a teaching sequence emphasizing inner mastery—how a ruler or seeker should cultivate self-governance as the foundation for ethical life and lasting tranquility.