Shloka 28
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
शकुनीनामिवाकाशे जले वारिचरस्य च । यथा गतिने दृश्येत तथा तस्य न संशय:
śakunīnām ivākāśe jale vāricarasya ca | yathā gatir na dṛśyeta tathā tasya na saṃśayaḥ ||
毗湿摩说：正如飞鸟之迹不可见于虚空，水行之类之迹不可见于水中，如是，真智者之行亦非寻常观测所能追踪把握。对此毫无疑惑。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The inner state and ultimate trajectory of a truly wise person cannot be judged from external signs. Like paths that leave no footprints (birds in the sky, aquatic beings in water), the knower’s movement—ethical, mental, and spiritual—does not lend itself to easy worldly measurement.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and the life of wisdom, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira through analogies. Here he uses natural imagery to emphasize that the realized person’s ‘gati’ (course/way) is subtle and not readily perceived by others.