Shloka 13
लीलयाल्पं यथा गात्रात् प्रमूज्यादात्मनो रज: । बहुयत्नेन महता दोषनिर्हरणं तथा,“जैसे अपने शरीरमें लगी हुई थोड़ी-सी धूलको मनुष्य साधारण चेष्टासे खेल-खेलमें ही झाड़-पोछ देता है, उसी प्रकार बारंबार किये हुए महान् प्रयत्नसे वह अपने राग-द्वेष आदि दोषोंको भी दूर कर सकता है
bhīṣma uvāca | līlayālpaṃ yathā gātrāt pramūjyād ātmano rajaḥ | bahuyatnena mahatā doṣanirharaṇaṃ tathā ||
Bhishma said: Just as a person casually brushes off a little dust from the body with an easy, almost playful motion, so too can one remove inner faults—such as attachment and aversion—by sustained and earnest effort repeated over time.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Small external impurities are removed easily, but deeper inner faults (doṣas) require sustained, repeated, and serious effort; ethical purification is a disciplined practice, not a one-time act.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues advising on righteous living and self-mastery, using a simple bodily metaphor—brushing off dust—to illustrate the gradual removal of mental and moral impurities through persistent practice.