Shloka 19
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
महाभूतानीन्द्रियाणि गुणा: सत्त्वं रजस्तम: । त्रैलोक्यं सेश्वरं सर्वमहंकारे प्रतिष्ठितम्
mahābhūtānīndriyāṇi guṇāḥ sattvaṃ rajastamaḥ | trailokyaṃ seśvaraṃ sarvam ahaṃkāre pratiṣṭhitam ||
毗湿摩说：五大、诸根、声等境相之质，以及自然的三德——萨埵、罗阇、怛摩——并三界与其主宰：这一切皆建立于我执、我慢（ahaṃkāra）之中。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the entire experiential cosmos—elements, senses, objects, guṇas, and even the three worlds with their rulers—is rooted in ahaṃkāra (the sense of “I” and “mine”). Ethically, this implies that bondage and conflict arise from ego-based appropriation, while discipline and liberation begin with understanding and restraining egoity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on dharma and liberation-oriented wisdom. Here he presents a metaphysical analysis (in a Sāṃkhya-like idiom), explaining how the constituents of the world and personality are grounded in ahaṃkāra, to guide the listener toward detachment and self-mastery.