Shloka 13
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
त॑ वै सदा कामचरमनुपस्तीर्णशायिनम् । बाहूपधान शाम्यन्तं प्रशंसन्ति दिवौकस:
taṁ vai sadā kāmacaram anupastīrṇaśāyinam | bāhūpadhānaṁ śāmyantaṁ praśaṁsanti divaukasaḥ ||
তেওঁ দেৱ-নিয়মৰ অনুগত হৈ স্বেচ্ছাই সদায় বিচৰণ কৰে; কোনো বিছনা নপতাই মাটিতেই শয়ন কৰে; নিজৰ বাহুকেই তকিয়া কৰে আৰু সদায় শান্ত থাকে; স্বৰ্গবাসী দেৱতাসকলেও তেওঁক পুনঃপুনঃ প্ৰশংসা কৰে।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse extols a dharmic ideal of simplicity and inner mastery: one who is content with minimal comforts, remains calm, and moves in harmony with higher order is worthy of praise—even by the gods. Ethical excellence is shown through restraint, non-dependence on luxuries, and steady tranquility.
Bhishma, in his Shanti Parva instruction, describes a virtuous person whose austere lifestyle and serene disposition mark him as exemplary. The description functions as a model of conduct within Bhishma’s broader discourse on dharma and right living after the war.