Shloka 3
Bṛhaspati’s Counsel on Contentment
Santoṣa), Restraint, and Adroha (Non-injury
यदा संहरते कामान् कूर्मोडज़ानीव सर्वशः । तदा<5<त्मज्योतिरचिरात् स्वात्मन्येव प्रसीदति
yadā saṁharate kāmān kūrmo'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | tadā ātmajyotir acirāt svātmany eva prasīdati ||
قال ديفَسْثانا: «إذا سحب المرءُ جميع رغباته، كما تسحب السلحفاة أطرافها من كل جانب، فإن نور الذات الباطن لا يلبث أن يهدأ ويصفو، مستقرًّا في حقيقة المرء نفسها.»
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
Restrain and withdraw desires completely—like a tortoise retracting its limbs—so that consciousness becomes steady; then the inner light (ātmajyotiḥ) quickly settles into serenity in the Self.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Devastāna instructs on inner discipline: the speaker uses a vivid simile (tortoise withdrawing limbs) to describe how a seeker should draw the mind back from sense-objects, leading to calm self-abidance.