Shloka 7
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
अकिंचन: परिपतन् सुखमास्वादयिष्यसि । अकिंचन: सुखं शेते समुत्तिषछति चैव ह,“यदि तुम सब कुछ त्यागकर किसी वस्तुका संग्रह नहीं रखोगे तो सर्वत्र विचरते हुए सुखका ही अनुभव करोगे; क्योंकि जो अकिंचन होता है--जिसके पास कुछ नहीं रहता है, वह सुखसे सोता और जागता है
akiñcanaḥ paripatan sukham āsvādayiṣyasi | akiñcanaḥ sukhaṃ śete samuttiṣṭhati caiva ha ||
Bhishma said: “If you renounce everything and keep no store of possessions, then, wandering everywhere, you will taste only happiness. For the one who has nothing—free from ownership and hoarding—lies down in ease and rises in ease as well.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Happiness is closely tied to non-possessiveness: when one abandons hoarding and the sense of ‘mine,’ one becomes mentally unburdened and therefore experiences ease in all states—moving about, sleeping, and waking.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and peace, Bhīṣma continues advising on the ethics of renunciation. He praises the akiñcana (one without possessions) as naturally tranquil, presenting detachment as a practical means to freedom from anxiety.