Shloka 8
Tapas as the Root of Attainment (तपः—साधनमूलप्रशंसा)
सार्थिका वणिजश्षापि तापसाक्षु वनौकस: । वसन्ति तत्र मार्गस्था: सुरम्ये नगसत्तमे,दल बाँधकर यात्रा करनेवाले वणिक्, वनवासी तपस्वी तथा दूसरे राहगीर भी उस रमणीय एवं श्रेष्ठ वृक्षेके नीचे निवास किया करते थे
sārthikā vaṇijaś cāpi tāpasāś ca vanaukasaḥ | vasanti tatra mārgasthāḥ suramye nagasattame ||
Bhishma said: “There, upon that most delightful and excellent mountain, caravan-travellers and merchants, forest-dwelling ascetics, and other wayfarers who were on the road would also take up residence.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of shared shelter and coexistence: people of different aims—trade, austerity, and travel—can gather peacefully in a wholesome place, implying the virtue of hospitality and the common good beyond social distinctions.
Bhishma describes a beautiful, excellent mountain locale that serves as a resting place. Caravans, merchants, ascetics, forest-dwellers, and other travellers stay there, indicating it is a well-known and welcoming stop on a route.