Shloka 12
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
मधु तैलं पय: सर्पिर्मासानि लवणं गुड: । धान्यानि फलमूलानि मृद्विकारा: सहाम्भसा,मधु, तेल, दूध, घी, मांस, लवण, गुड़, धान्य, फल-मूल और जल--ये सभी पृथ्वीके ही विकार हैं
madhu tailaṃ payaḥ sarpir māṃsāni lavaṇaṃ guḍaḥ | dhānyāni phalamūlāni mṛdvikārāḥ sahāmbhasā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Honey, oil, milk, ghee, meats, salt, jaggery, grains, fruits and roots, and water as well—these are all transformations of the earth. The teaching reminds us that what people prize as nourishment and wealth is materially grounded, and thus calls for discernment and restraint rather than attachment to the pleasures of the senses.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All commonly valued foods and consumables are merely material transformations of the earth; recognizing their elemental nature supports non-attachment, moderation, and ethical self-control.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising on right understanding and conduct, illustrating through a catalog of foods that worldly enjoyments are earth-derived and thus not ultimate objects of clinging.