Shloka 10
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
शास्त्र यदि भवेदेकं श्रेयो व्यक्ते भवेत् तदा । शास्त्रैश्व बहुभिर्भूय: श्रेयो गुहां प्रवेशितम्
śāstra yadi bhaved ekaṃ śreyo vyakte bhavet tadā | śāstraiś ca bahubhir bhūyaḥ śreyo guhāṃ praveśitam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kung iisa lamang ang makapangyarihang śāstra, magiging malinaw ang landas tungo sa pinakamataas na kabutihan. Ngunit dahil maraming śāstra ang nagsasalita sa iba’t ibang paraan, ang mismong sukdulang kabutihan ay naitulak na parang sa loob ng isang yungib—lubhang natatago at napakahirap matunton.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights a problem of plurality: when many śāstras present differing formulations, the seeker may find the highest good (śreyas) harder to identify. The verse urges discernment—separating the essential aim from competing presentations.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the means to true welfare. Here he remarks that the abundance of scriptural teachings can obscure rather than clarify the path, making śreyas seem hidden like something placed in a cave.