Shloka 31
Śānti-parva 206: Guṇa-hetu Moha, Kāma-krodha Chain, Indriya-utpatti, and Nirodha
इस भूतलपर रहनेवाला मनुष्य यद्यपि इस पृथ्वीका अन्त नहीं देखता है तो भी कहीं- न-कहीं इसका अन्त अवश्य है
bhīṣma uvāca |
ayaṁ bhūtale paryavasthito manuṣyo yady api pṛthivyā antaṁ na paśyati tathāpi kvacid asyā antaḥ avaśyam asti—iti budhyasva | yathā samudre taraṅgair ūrdhva-adhastād bhavann api nauḥ pravāhānukūlayā vāyunā taṭe pratiṣṭhāpyate, tathā saṁsāra-samudre nimajjan manuṣyaḥ anukūlena vātena saṁsāra-sāgarāt pāraṁ nīyate ||
divākaro guṇam upalabhya nirguṇo yathā bhaved apagata-raśmi-maṇḍalaḥ |
tathā hāsau munir iha nirviśeṣavān sa nirguṇaṁ praviśati brahma cāvyayam ||
毗湿摩说道：即便住在此地上的人看不见大地的尽头，也当明白：在某处，那尽头必然存在。正如海中之船，随波起伏，却仍被顺风所载、与水流相应而抵达彼岸；同样，投身于世间之海的人，也会因相应的清净因缘与灵性氛围而得以渡越轮回之海（saṁsāra）。又如太阳，照耀一切，虽具光明之德，至落山时收敛光轮，仿佛成了“无德”；同样，离诸分别的圣者在此进入不坏、无属性（nirguṇa）的梵（Brahman），永恒不灭。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the turbulence of worldly life, liberation is possible when conditions become spiritually favorable—through right orientation, discipline, and insight. Ultimately, the sage transcends all distinctions and realizes the imperishable, attributeless Brahman (nirguṇa brahman).
In the Shanti Parva discourse, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on liberation-oriented wisdom. He uses two images: a ship carried to shore by a favorable wind despite waves, and the sun withdrawing its rays at sunset, to illustrate how the realized sage becomes free of limiting attributes and merges into Brahman.