Shloka 21
Adhyāya 352: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Saṃvāda — Uñchavrata-niścaya
Dialogue and the Resolve to Practice Uñchavrata
गन्धर्वैरप्सरोभिश्व सततं संनिषेवितम् । उत्सृज्येमं गिरिवरमेकाकी प्राप्तवानसि
gandharvair apsarobhiś ca satataṁ saṁniṣevitam | utsṛjya imaṁ girivaram ekākī prāptavān asi, kim kāraṇam |
قال بهيشما: «إن هذا الجبلَ الممتاز تُلازمه على الدوام الغندرفاتُ والأبسارات. فلماذا إذن تركتَ ذلك المقامَ الأسمى—الخالي من الجوع والعطش—حيث تقف الآلهةُ والأسورا والحكماءُ ذوو البهاء الذي لا يُقاس على الدوام مستعدين لخدمتك، وجئتَ إلى هنا وحدك؟»
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: when someone leaves a blissful, well-served, need-free state for solitude and hardship, the motive must be examined. It highlights that ethical-spiritual choices are judged by intention and purpose, not merely by external comfort or status.
Bhīṣma addresses a solitary arrival on a great mountain, expressing surprise that the person has left a superior abode attended by celestial beings. He asks the reason for this renunciant movement from a privileged, desire-free environment to lonely mountain life.