Shloka 137
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
तत्पुरे चैकमेवास्य गृहं यदधितिष्ठति । गृहे शयनमप्येक॑ निशायां यत्र लीयते
tatpure caikamevāsya gṛhaṁ yad adhitiṣṭhati | gṛhe śayanam apy ekaṁ niśāyāṁ yatra līyate ||
Bhīṣma said: “Even in that city, he has only a single dwelling that he occupies; and within that dwelling, only a single bed—upon which he withdraws at night. The point is to portray a life of restraint and non-excess: even amid urban prosperity, one should limit possessions to what is truly necessary.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moderation and non-accumulation: even when one has access to the comforts of a city, one should keep one’s needs limited—one dwelling, one bed—cultivating contentment and freedom from greed.
Bhīṣma is describing an idealized mode of living (or the conduct of a disciplined person): the person resides in a city yet maintains minimal personal arrangements—only one residence and one sleeping place—illustrating ethical self-control.