Shloka 4
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
बोध्यं शान्तमृषिं राजा नाहुष: पर्यपृच्छत । निर्वेदाच्छान्तिमापन्नं शास्त्रप्रज्ञानतर्पितम्,कहते हैं, किसी समय नहुषनन्दन राजा ययातिने वैराग्यसे शान्तभावको प्राप्त हुए शास्त्रके उत्कृष्ट ज्ञानसे परितृष्त परम शान्त बोध्य ऋषिसे पूछा--
bhīṣma uvāca |
bodhyaṁ śāntam ṛṣiṁ rājā nāhuṣaḥ paryapṛcchata |
nirvedāc chāntim āpannaṁ śāstra-prajñāna-tarpitam ||
Bhishma said: King Nahusha questioned the sage Bodhya, a tranquil seer who had attained peace through dispassion and was fully satisfied by the highest understanding of the scriptures. Thus the ruler, seeking clarity, approached a renunciate whose inner calm and scriptural wisdom were fit to guide right conduct and right living.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the authority of spiritual counsel: true guidance on dharma is sought from one who is inwardly peaceful through dispassion (nirveda) and grounded in scriptural wisdom (śāstra-prajñāna). It implies that ethical clarity arises from both lived renunciation and right understanding.
Bhishma introduces a dialogue: King Nahusha approaches and questions the sage Bodhya, who is described as serene, dispassionate, and fulfilled by knowledge. This sets the stage for a didactic exchange on conduct and the path to peace.