Shloka 7
कपाल वृक्षमूलानि कुचैलमसहायता । उपेक्षा सर्वभूतानामेतावद् भिक्षुलक्षणम्,भिक्षापात्र एवं कमण्डलु रखे। वृक्षकी जड़में सोये या निवास करे। जो देखनेमें सुन्दर न हो, ऐसा वस्त्र धारण करे। किसीको साथ न रखे और सब प्राणियोंकी उपेक्षा कर दे। ये सब संन्यासीके लक्षण हैं
vyāsa uvāca | kapāla-vṛkṣa-mūlāni kucailam asahāyatā | upekṣā sarva-bhūtānām etāvad bhikṣu-lakṣaṇam | bhikṣā-pātraṃ eva ca kamaṇḍaluṃ rakhet | vṛkṣa-mūle śayīta vā nivāsaṃ kuryāt | yaḥ darśane na sundaraṃ vastraṃ dhārayet | na kaṃcid saha rakhet sarva-bhūteṣu ca upekṣāṃ kuryāt | etāni sannyāsinaḥ lakṣaṇāni ||
Vyāsa said: “A mendicant’s marks are these: a skull-bowl, the roots of trees for shelter, a coarse and unattractive garment, living without companions, and maintaining detachment toward all beings. He should keep only a begging-bowl and a water-pot; he should sleep or dwell at the foot of a tree; he should wear clothing that does not invite admiration; he should keep no one as an attendant, and he should remain indifferent—free from clinging and aversion—toward all creatures. Such are the characteristics of a renunciant.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines renunciation as radical simplicity and inner non-attachment: minimal possessions (bowl and water-pot), austere living (tree-root as shelter), avoidance of display (unattractive clothing), solitude, and equanimity toward all beings—freedom from dependence, favoritism, and hostility.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vyāsa is describing the observable disciplines and lifestyle that characterize a true mendicant/renunciant, emphasizing external austerity as a support for inner detachment.