Shloka 5
भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः
Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline
ये चैनं॑ पक्षमाश्रित्य निवर्तन्त्यल्पमेधस: । स्वभावं कारणं ज्ञात्वा न श्रेय: प्राप्तुवन्ति ते
ye cainaṁ pakṣam āśritya nivartanty alpamedhasaḥ | svabhāvaṁ kāraṇaṁ jñātvā na śreyaḥ prāptuvanti te ||
Vyāsa said: Those of little understanding who take refuge in this viewpoint and turn away—holding mere ‘nature’ (svabhāva) to be the sole cause—do not attain true welfare. By denying a higher governing principle and withdrawing from reverent pursuit of the Supreme, they forfeit the path that leads to lasting good.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merely attributing everything to svabhāva (nature) and abandoning reverent striving for the highest good is portrayed as an error of limited understanding; such a stance blocks śreyas—lasting welfare and spiritual good.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa warns against a particular doctrinal ‘side’ (pakṣa): a naturalistic/atheistic view that treats nature alone as the cause and leads people to withdraw from worship and higher pursuit; he states that such people fail to attain true well-being.