Shloka 6
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
तत्र चीराजिनधरं कृशमुच्चमतीव च । अद्राक्षमृषिमायान्तं तनुं नाम तपोधनम्,उसके बाद वहाँसे निकट ही एक-दूसरे आश्रममें मैं ठहरनेके लिये गया। वहाँ मुझे तनु नामवाले एक तपोधन ऋषि आते दिखायी दिये, जो चीर और मृगचर्म धारण किये हुए थे। उनका शरीर बहुत ऊँचा और अत्यन्त दुर्बल था
tatra cīrājinadharaṁ kṛśam uccam atīva ca | adrākṣam ṛṣim āyāntaṁ tanuṁ nāma tapodhanam ||
There I saw an approaching sage named Tanu, a treasure of austerity—clad in bark garments and a deerskin. He was exceedingly tall and extremely emaciated, his very appearance bearing witness to a life of rigorous self-discipline.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas (austerity) as a visible ethical force: the sage’s simple dress and emaciated frame signify disciplined restraint and renunciation, implying that inner virtue and spiritual wealth can outweigh material prosperity.
Bhishma narrates that he encounters an approaching ascetic named Tanu, identifiable by the traditional marks of a forest renunciant—bark clothing and deerskin—and by his strikingly tall yet extremely thin body, suggesting intense austerities.