Shloka 38
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
कि ते धनैर्बान्धवैर्वापि कि ते किं ते दारैब्राह्मण यो मरिष्यसि । आत्मानमन्विच्छ गुहां प्रविष्टं पितामहास्ते क्व गता: पिता च
ki te dhanair bāndhavair vāpi ki te kiṁ te dārair brāhmaṇa yo mariṣyasi | ātmānam anviccha guhāṁ praviṣṭaṁ pitāmahās te kva gatāḥ pitā ca ||
毗湿摩说道：“财富于你何用，亲族于你何用？妻室家业于你何用，婆罗门啊——既然你注定要死？当求那已入心窟之我（自性）。且思量：你的祖先今在何处？你的父亲如今又在何方？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma urges radical detachment grounded in mortality: since death is inevitable, external supports—wealth, relatives, and domestic life—cannot ultimately save or accompany one. Therefore one should turn inward and pursue ātma-jñāna, seeking the Self hidden in the ‘cave’ of the heart, remembering that even one’s ancestors have departed.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Bhīṣma delivers instruction to a brāhmaṇa, using a direct rhetorical challenge. He contrasts perishable worldly ties with the imperishable inner Self, and reinforces the point by invoking the example of the father and forefathers who have already ‘gone’—a contemplative prompt toward renunciation and self-inquiry.