Shloka 27
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
औदका: सृष्टयश्चैव जन्तव: सिद्धिमाप्रुयु: । तेषामात्मैव भर्तव्यो नान्य: कश्नन विद्यते,(यदि अपने शरीरमात्रका भरण-पोषण करनेसे सिद्धि मिलती हो, तब तो) जलमें रहनेवाले जीवों तथा स्थावर प्राणियोंको भी सिद्धि प्राप्त कर लेनी चाहिये: क्योंकि उन्हें केवल अपना ही भरण-पोषण करना रहता है। उनके पास दूसरा कोई ऐसा नहीं है, जिसके भरण-पोषणका भार वे उठाते हों
audakāḥ sṛṣṭayaś caiva jantavaḥ siddhim āpruyuḥ | teṣām ātmā eva bhartavyo nānyaḥ kaścana vidyate ||
Bhīma said: “If mere self-maintenance were enough to attain spiritual perfection, then aquatic creatures and even immobile beings would surely attain it as well. For they have only themselves to sustain—there is no other being whose burden of support they must carry.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīma argues that spiritual success (siddhi) cannot be reduced to merely feeding and sustaining oneself. If that alone produced perfection, then beings that naturally live by simple self-preservation—like aquatic creatures and even immobile life—would automatically attain siddhi. The implied ethical point is that dharma involves more than self-care; it includes responsibility, service, and sustaining others where appropriate.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discussions on dharma after the war, Bhīma speaks critically against an overly simplistic claim that renunciation or minimal self-maintenance is sufficient for spiritual attainment. He uses a pointed analogy—water-dwelling and other non-social beings—to challenge that view and to emphasize a more demanding understanding of righteous living.