Shloka 3
Bṛhaspati’s Counsel on Contentment
Santoṣa), Restraint, and Adroha (Non-injury
यदा संहरते कामान् कूर्मोडज़ानीव सर्वशः । तदा<5<त्मज्योतिरचिरात् स्वात्मन्येव प्रसीदति
yadā saṁharate kāmān kūrmo'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | tadā ātmajyotir acirāt svātmany eva prasīdati ||
Devasthāna sprach: „Wenn ein Mensch alle Begierden zurückzieht, wie eine Schildkröte ihre Glieder von allen Seiten einzieht, dann wird das innere Licht des Selbst bald still und klar und ruht im eigenen wahren Sein.“
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
Restrain and withdraw desires completely—like a tortoise retracting its limbs—so that consciousness becomes steady; then the inner light (ātmajyotiḥ) quickly settles into serenity in the Self.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Devastāna instructs on inner discipline: the speaker uses a vivid simile (tortoise withdrawing limbs) to describe how a seeker should draw the mind back from sense-objects, leading to calm self-abidance.