Shloka 9
Śrī-nivāsa: Traits and Conditions for the Abode of Prosperity (श्री-निवासः)
यश्चात्मनि प्रार्थयते न किज्चिद् यश्न स्वभावोपहतान्तरात्मा । तेष्वल्पसंतोषपरेषु नित्य॑ नरेषु नाहं निवसामि सम्यक्
yaścātmani prārthayate na kiñcid yaś ca svabhāvopahatāntarātmā | teṣv alpa-santoṣa-pareṣu nityaṃ nareṣu nāhaṃ nivasāmi samyak ||
Dijo Bhishma: No habito de veras en aquellos hombres que nada piden a su propio ser interior, y cuyo espíritu íntimo, herido, queda sometido por la fuerza de su naturaleza habitual. En tales personas—siempre entregadas a una satisfacción mezquina—no permanezco en plenitud.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not live merely by habit and minimal comfort; a person must cultivate an awakened inner self that seeks higher aims. When the inner conscience is dulled by svabhāva (ingrained tendencies) and one settles for petty satisfaction, the presence of the higher principle (here voiced as “I”) is not fully manifest.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing on dharma and right conduct. In this verse he contrasts spiritually alert people with those whose inner life is dominated by habit and small desires, stating that he does not ‘dwell’ properly in such persons—i.e., true virtue or higher awareness does not take firm residence there.