Shloka 3

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच शृणु मे त्वमिदं सूक्ष्मं सांख्यानां विदितात्मनाम्‌ विहितं यतिभि: सर्वे: कपिलादिभिरी श्वरै:,भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठटिर! आत्मतत्त्वके जाननेवाले सांख्यशास्त्रके विद्वानोंका यह सूक्ष्म ज्ञान तुम मुझसे सुनो। इसे ईश्वरकोटिके कपिल आदि सम्पूर्ण यतियोंने प्रकाशित किया है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca: śṛṇu me tvam idaṁ sūkṣmaṁ sāṅkhyānāṁ viditātmanām | vihitaṁ yatibhiḥ sarvaiḥ kapilādibhir īśvaraiḥ ||

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا—اے یُدھِشٹھِر! خودی (آتما) کے عارف سانکھْیَ داناؤں کا یہ نہایت لطیف اصول مجھ سے سنو۔ کپل وغیرہ جیسے خدا صفت رِشی-یَتیوں نے اسے بیان کیا ہے۔

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

शृणुhear

मेof me / my

त्वम्you

इदम्this

सूक्ष्मम्subtle

सांख्यानाम्of the Sāṅkhyas / of Sāṅkhya-knowers

विदितात्मनाम्of those whose self is known / self-realized

विहितम्prescribed / set forth

यतिभिःby ascetics

सर्वैःby all

कपिलादिभिःby Kapila and others

ईश्वरैःby the lords / great masters

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kapila

Sāṅkhya

yatayaḥ (ascetics)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma introduces a subtle Sāṅkhya-based instruction grounded in ātma-jñāna (realization of the Self), emphasizing that the teaching is authoritative because it is upheld by accomplished renunciants and revered sages like Kapila.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s post-war instruction, Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira and begins to transmit a refined philosophical doctrine, framing it as a time-tested teaching of realized Sāṅkhya sages and eminent ascetics.