Shloka 19
Doṣa-Parīkṣā and Guṇa-Viveka
Examination of Faults and Discernment of the Guṇas
तपसा चानुमानेन गुणैर्जात्या श्रुतेन च निनीषेत् परमं ब्रह्म विशुद्धेनान्तरात्मना
tapasā cānumānena guṇair jātyā śrutena ca ninīṣet paramaṃ brahma viśuddhenāntarātmanā
毗湿摩说：“因此，当先净化内在之我，而后应志求证得至上梵（Brahman）——以苦行，以有纪律的推理与比量，以自制等诸德，以依自身身分与人生阶段而守持本分之法（dharma），并以研习诵读圣教。内心澄明无垢之时，当求最高真实。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation-oriented knowledge is grounded in inner purity. Bhishma teaches that the seeker should cleanse the inner self through disciplined austerity, thoughtful reasoning, cultivation of virtues like self-restraint, faithful performance of one’s rightful duties, and scriptural study; with such purified inwardness, one can seek and realize the Supreme Brahman.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he outlines practical means—tapas, rational inquiry, ethical virtues, duty, and study—by which a person purifies the inner instrument and becomes fit to pursue realization of Brahman.