Shloka 11
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
मृन्मयं शरणं यद्वधन्मृदैव परिलिप्यते । पार्थिवो5यं तथा देहो मृद्विकारान्न नश्यति
mṛṇmayaṃ śaraṇaṃ yad vadhān mṛdaiva parilipyate | pārthivo 'yaṃ tathā deho mṛdvikārān na naśyati |
قال بهيشما: «كما أن المأوى المصنوع من الطين يبقى آمناً إذا طُلي بالطين مرة أخرى، كذلك هذا الجسد الأرضي لا يهلك لمجرد تناول ما هو أيضاً تحوّلٌ من عنصر الأرض—الطعام والماء. فما كان من العنصر نفسه يمدّه بالقوام ولا يفسده.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an analogy to teach that the body, being ‘earthy’ in constitution, is sustained by earthy substances (food and water) rather than harmed by them; it points toward a balanced, element-based understanding of bodily maintenance rather than fear or aversion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he illustrates a practical-philosophical point through a homely image—an earthen house protected by clay plaster—to clarify how the body relates to its material causes and supports.