Shloka 26
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
ग्राम या नगरमें रहकर जो स्त्री-पुत्र आदिमें आसक्ति बढ़ायी जाती है, यह मृत्युका मुख ही है और जो वनका आश्रय लेता है, यह इन्द्रियरूपी गौओंको बाँधनेके लिये गोशालाके समान है, यह श्रुतिका कथन है ।। निबन्धनी रज्जुरेषा या ग्रामे वसतो रति: । छित्त्वैतां सुकृतो यान्ति नैनां छिन्दन्ति दुष्कृत:,ग्राममें रहनेपर वहाँके स्त्री-पुत्र आदि विषयोंमें जो आसक्ति होती है, यह जीवको बाँधनेवाली रस्सीके समान है। पुण्यात्मा पुरुष ही इसे काटकर निकल पाते हैं। पापी पुरुष इसे नहीं काट पाते हैं
nibandhanī rajjur eṣā yā grāme vasato ratiḥ | chittvaitāṃ sukṛto yānti naināṃ chindanti duṣkṛtaḥ ||
Bhishma said: The attachment that arises for one who lives in a village—delighting in household objects such as wife, children, and the like—is a binding rope. The virtuous cut this rope and go free; the wicked do not cut it. Thus, remaining in worldly settlements strengthens the very bond that leads a being toward death, whereas taking refuge in the forest is spoken of in the tradition (śruti) as a place of restraint, like a cowshed that keeps the ‘cows’ of the senses tethered.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly attachment formed in settled life functions like a rope that binds the soul. Only those committed to virtue and discipline can ‘cut’ this bond through detachment and self-restraint; those given to wrongdoing remain bound.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on the dangers of household attachment and the value of restraint (often symbolized by forest-dwelling), framing attachment as a tangible bond that must be severed for spiritual freedom.