Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
अहं कर्तेति चाप्यन्यो गुणस्तत्र चतुर्दश: । ममायमिति येनायं मनन््यते न ममेति च
ahaṃ karteti cāpy anyo guṇas tatra caturdaśaḥ | mamāyam iti yenāyaṃ manyate na mameti ca ||
بھیشم نے کہا—“وہاں ایک اور—چودہواں—وصف ہے جسے ‘اہنکار’ کہتے ہیں: ‘میں ہی کرتا ہوں’ کا غرور۔ اسی کے ذریعے جیوا ‘یہ میرا ہے’ اور ‘یہ میرا نہیں’ کے تصورات قائم کرتا ہے۔”
भीष्य उवाच
Egoism (ahaṃkāra)—the conceit ‘I am the doer’—drives possessiveness and division into ‘mine’ and ‘not mine.’ Recognizing this mechanism is a step toward ethical restraint and inner freedom from attachment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma continues his analysis of inner qualities, identifying egoism as a distinct factor that shapes how the individual self interprets actions and ownership.