Shloka 31
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
नन्वेते हेतवः सन्ति ये केचिन्मूर्तिसंस्थिता: । अमूर्तस्य हि मूर्तेन सामान्यं नोपपद्यते
nanvete hetavaḥ santi ye kecin mūrtisaṃsthitāḥ | amūrtasya hi mūrtena sāmānyaṃ nopapadyate |
毗湿摩说道：“诚然，怀疑者所举的一切理由与譬喻，皆立足于有形之物。然而无形与有形之间，不能成立真正的同类与同一。故不可正当地说：无形之我由有形诸质的聚合而生，或可由其聚合加以说明。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma argues that examples drawn from formed, material things cannot establish conclusions about the formless Self (Ātman). Since the formless and the formed do not share the same nature, it is not logically valid to claim that consciousness/the Self is produced by material elements or that material analogies can fully explain it.
In the Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Bhīṣma addresses objections associated with skeptical/materialist reasoning. He critiques the opponents’ reliance on material examples and insists that such reasoning cannot account for the formless principle identified as the Self.