Shloka 9
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
पञ्चभूतात्मके देहे सत्त्वे राजसतामसे । कमभिष्ट्वते चायं क॑ वा55क्रोशति कि वदन्
pañcabhūtātmake dehe sattve rajasatāmase | kim abhiṣṭuvate cāyaṃ ka vā krośati kiṃ vadan ||
毗湿摩说道：“此身乃五大之变现，复为三德——萨埵、罗阇、怛摩——所制约。居于其中的不变之我，又能说出什么有意义的话？凭何去责谁、赞谁？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that praise and blame belong to the realm of the body-mind shaped by the five elements and the three guṇas. The true Self (ātman), being changeless, is not the real agent of such reactions; recognizing this supports equanimity and ethical restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma continues a philosophical discourse on the nature of the Self versus the conditioned body. This verse argues for detachment from reactive judgment—praise and censure—by grounding identity in the avikāra ātman rather than in guṇa-driven states.