Shloka 5
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
प्रजाभि: स परित्यक्तश्नकार कुशलं महत् । अतिवेलं तपस्तेपे दह्मुमान: स मन्युना
prajābhiḥ sa parityaktaḥ na ca akarot kuśalaṃ mahat | ativelaṃ tapas tepe dahyamānaḥ sa manyunā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Von seinen eigenen Untertanen verlassen, vermochte er ihnen kein großes Wohl mehr zu schaffen. Von Kummer und Zorn verzehrt, zog er sich in den Wald zurück und übte lange Zeit strenge Askese, indem er sein Leiden in anhaltende Buße verwandelte.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a ruler loses the support of the people and can no longer serve the common good, the proper response is not reckless retaliation but inner discipline—transforming pain and anger into tapas (self-restraint and moral effort).
Bhishma describes a figure who has been rejected by his subjects; unable to carry out public welfare, he retreats to the forest and performs prolonged austerities while inwardly scorched by anger and sorrow.