Shloka 123
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
कृष्णपक्षे पिबन्त्यन्ये भुउ्जते वा यथागतम् । कोई दाँतोंसे ही ओखलीका काम लेते हैं, अर्थात् कच्चे अन्नको चबा-चबाकर खाते हैं। दूसरे लोग पत्थरपर कूटकर भोजन करते हैं और कोई-कोई शुक्लपक्ष या कृष्णपक्षमें एक बार जौका औटाया हुआ माँड़ पीकर रह जाते हैं अथवा समयानुसार जो कुछ मिल जाय वही खाकर जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं
kṛṣṇapakṣe pibantyanye bhuñjate vā yathāgatam |
Vyāsa said: Some, during the dark fortnight, live only by drinking; others eat whatever comes to them as it happens. The passage depicts austere modes of subsistence—accepting scant or chance food without insistence—highlighting restraint, endurance, and contentment as ethical disciplines.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse commends disciplined simplicity: sustaining oneself with minimal intake and accepting whatever is obtained without craving, complaint, or selectiveness—an ethical training in self-mastery and contentment.
Vyāsa is describing different ascetic lifestyles and food practices, emphasizing how some live on drink alone at certain times and others eat only what comes unasked, illustrating rigorous restraint within the broader discourse on dharma in Śānti Parva.