Shloka 20
कि नु तत्सदन श्रेष्ठ क्षुत्पिपासाविवर्जितम् । सुरासुरैरध्युषितं ऋषिभिश्नामितप्रभै:,क्या कारण है कि क्षुधा-पिपासासे रहित उस श्रेष्ठ धामको, जहाँ निरन्तर देवता, असुर, अमिततेजस्वी ऋषि, गन्धर्व और अप्सराओंके समूह आपकी सेवामें उपस्थित रहते हैं, छोड़कर आप अकेले इस श्रेष्ठ पर्वतपर चले आये हैं?
ki nu tat sadana śreṣṭha kṣutpipāsāvivarjitam | surāsurair adhyuṣitaṁ ṛṣibhir nāmitaprabhaiḥ |
Bhīṣma said: “O best of men, why have you abandoned that excellent abode—free from hunger and thirst—constantly inhabited by gods and asuras and by sages of immeasurable splendor, and come here alone to this noble mountain?”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into renunciation: leaving a comfortable, desire-free celestial-like abode for solitude suggests a deliberate spiritual purpose. Bhīṣma’s question highlights that true dharma is not merely comfort or privilege, but the reasoned pursuit of a higher aim.
Bhīṣma addresses a revered person (śreṣṭha), asking why he has left an exalted residence—free from hunger and thirst and frequented by devas, asuras, and radiant sages—and come alone to a mountain. The question sets up an explanation of motive and spiritual intent.