Shloka 11
Ākiṃcanya–Tyāga Upadeśa
The Instruction on Non-ownership and Renunciation
ततो<पश्यत् सुरम्येषु सुवर्णसिकताचिते
tato ’paśyat suramyeṣu suvarṇa-sikatā-citeṣu nara-īśvara
Bhishma said: Then, in those exceedingly delightful regions—strewn with golden sand—the sage Gautama beheld a vast and splendid banyan tree. Spreading in a circular expanse on every side, on ground level and pleasing like a heavenly tract, it appeared like a great royal parasol because of its many beautiful branches. Its roots were being nourished with water mixed with sandalwood, deepening the sacred calm and auspiciousness that pervaded the place.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a sacred, orderly landscape—golden sand, a canopy-like banyan, sandalwood-scented water—as an external sign of inner dharmic harmony. Such imagery commonly signals a setting fit for tapas, instruction, or a morally significant encounter, emphasizing purity, auspiciousness, and calm as supports for ethical discernment.
Bhishma narrates that Gautama, moving through delightful regions, comes upon an extraordinary banyan tree spreading like a royal parasol. The place is described as level, pleasant, and heaven-like, with the tree’s roots watered by sandalwood-mixed water—preparing the scene for whatever meeting or teaching follows.