Shloka 7
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
पितृणां विषयान ज्ञात्वा तिर्यक्षु चरतां नूप । सुपर्णविषयान् ज्ञात्वा मरुतां विषयांस्तथा
pitṝṇāṁ viṣayān jñātvā tiryakṣu caratāṁ nūpa | suparṇaviṣayān jñātvā marutāṁ viṣayāṁs tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，若已了知祖灵（Pitṛ）之境，亦了知行于畜生道诸类之境；又了知苏帕尔那（迦楼罗）之境，并同样了知风神众（Maruts）之境，便能以明辨之眼看见：不同类的众生如何各自系缚于其所缘与条件。此等知识扶持戒制之德：它揭示由感官驱使之欲在诸世界中的限度与果报，使心转向那超越一切有为‘境域’而趋于解脱的道路。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to a contemplative discipline: by understanding the ‘viṣayas’—the conditioned spheres and sense-objects that govern different classes of beings (ancestors, animals, Garuḍa, Maruts)—one recognizes the relativity and limitation of worldly enjoyments. This supports ethical restraint and strengthens the turn toward Sāṅkhya-Yoga insight aimed at liberation beyond all such domains.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on higher dharma and the paths of knowledge. Here he continues a cosmological-psychological mapping of various beings’ ‘domains’ to show how desire and experience are structured across worlds, preparing the listener for a mokṣa-oriented understanding.