Shloka 4
अव्यक्त–व्यक्त–कारणकार्यविवेकः
Avyakta–Vyakta and Causality: Discrimination of Field and Knower
वही मनुष्य हिलते हुए जलमें जैसे अपना रूप नहीं देख पाता, उसी प्रकार मनसहित इन्द्रियोंके चंचल होनेपर वह बुद्धिमें ज्ञेयस्वरूप आत्माका दर्शन नहीं कर सकता ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yathā calati jale manuṣyaḥ svam ātmānaṃ (rūpaṃ) na paśyati, tathā manasā saha indriyāṇāṃ cañcalatve buddhyā jñeyasvarūpaṃ ātmānaṃ na paśyati || abuddhir ajñānakṛtā; abuddhayā manaḥ kṛṣyate | duṣṭasya manasaḥ pañca (indriyāṇi) manasā saha saṃpraduṣyanti ||
毗湿摩说道：正如人在摇荡的水中不能见到自己的倒影，同样，当心与诸根躁动不宁时，便不能在理智（buddhi）之中观见那作为真实所知之体性的自我——阿特曼（Ātman）。当辨别力（viveka）为无明所毁，理智便失其正；由此败坏的理智又将心牵引入贪著等过失之中。心既染污，受其驱使的五种感官能力亦随之染污。此教示在于：内在的安定与清明的辨别，是证知自我与成就德行自制的先决条件。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-knowledge requires inner steadiness: when the mind and senses are restless, the intellect cannot clearly ‘see’ the Self. Ignorance damages discernment (buddhi), which then lets the mind fall into attachment and other faults; a corrupted mind in turn corrupts the senses, leading to ethical and spiritual decline.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he uses a vivid analogy—one cannot see one’s reflection in trembling water—to explain why a disturbed mind and senses prevent realization of the Atman, and how ignorance-driven loss of discrimination cascades into moral and perceptual corruption.