Shloka 3
Gratitude, Discernment, and the Escalation of Power (Śvā–Dvipī–Vyāghra–Nāga–Siṃha–Śarabha Itihāsa)
वने महति कम्मिंश्चिदमनुष्यनिषेविते । ऋषिर्मूलफलाहारो नियतो नियतेन्द्रिय:,किसी महान् निर्जन वनमें फल-मूलका आहार करके रहनेवाले एक नियमपरायण जितेन्द्रिय महर्षि रहते थे
vane mahati kasmiṃścid amanuṣya-niṣevite | ṛṣir mūla-phala-āhāro niyato niyatendriyaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: In a vast forest, in some place not frequented by men, there lived a great sage—living on roots and fruits, steadfast in vows, and with his senses firmly restrained.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical ideal of tapas and self-restraint: a disciplined life, simplicity of sustenance, and control of the senses as a foundation for dharmic insight.
Bhishma begins an illustrative account by introducing the setting (a remote forest) and the central figure (a great, austere sage), preparing for a moral or dharma-oriented episode that follows.