Shloka 8
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
शक््यते दुस्त्यजे<प्यर्थे चिररात्राय जीवितुम् । न तु भोजनमुत्सृज्य शक्यं वर्तयितुं चिरम्,जिसको त्यागना बहुत कठिन है, उस अर्थके बिना भी मनुष्य बहुत दिनोंतक जीवित रह सकता है, परंतु भोजन छोड़ देनेपर कोई भी अधिक समयतक जीवन धारण नहीं कर सकता
śakyate dustyaje 'py arthe cirarātrāya jīvitum | na tu bhojanam utsṛjya śakyaṁ vartayituṁ ciram ||
حتى من دون المال—مع أنه شديد العسر على النفس أن تُفارقه—يستطيع المرء أن يبقى حيًّا زمنًا طويلًا. أمّا إذا ترك الطعام، فلا أحد يقدر أن يطيل البقاء.
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a pragmatic ethical insight: wealth (artha) may be difficult to relinquish, yet life can continue without it; food, however, is essential for sustaining life, so decisions about duty and conduct must recognize basic bodily necessity.
In the Vana Parva’s instructional storytelling context, the hawk (śyena) speaks to make a pointed argument about necessity: renouncing possessions is one thing, but renouncing food is incompatible with long survival—framing the discussion around realistic constraints on moral choices.