Shloka 8
Adhyāya 353 — Kathā-prāmāṇya (Authority of Transmission) and the Brāhmaṇa’s Ascetic Resolve
चिन्तयामि गति चास्य न गतिं वेझि चोत्तराम् । यथाज्ञानं तु वक्ष्यामि पुरुषं तु सनातनम्
cintayāmi gatiṃ cāsya na gatiṃ vetsi cottarām | yathājñānaṃ tu vakṣyāmi puruṣaṃ tu sanātanam ||
毗湿摩说道：“我观思此有之行程，然而连我也未能尽知那至高的归宿。即便如此，依我所及之理解，我将叙说那永恒之人。因为在诸具身众生之中，无人真正知晓他们以何方式入于身、离于身；故我以数论与瑜伽之修持观其迁流，并仅在洞见所及之处言说。”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great sages acknowledge limits in knowing the ‘supreme gati’ (ultimate destiny) of embodied beings; nevertheless, through Sāṅkhya (discernment) and Yoga (discipline), one can meaningfully speak about the Sanātana Puruṣa—the eternal conscious principle beyond bodily coming and going.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma addresses a metaphysical question about how beings take birth and depart. He admits that the highest truth is difficult to grasp fully, then proceeds to teach what he understands about the Eternal Person using the frameworks of Sāṅkhya and Yoga.