Shloka 51
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
अपि मूलफलाजीवो रमस्वैको महावने । वाग्यतः संगृहीतात्मा सर्वभूतदयान्वित:
api mūlaphalājīvo ramasvaiko mahāvane | vāgyataḥ saṅgṛhītātmā sarvabhūtadayānvitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: Aunque debas vivir sólo de raíces y frutos, habita satisfecho, tú solo, en el gran bosque. Refrena la palabra, disciplina tu interior y permanece colmado de compasión hacia todos los seres.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches a dharmic ascetic ideal: accept simple sustenance (roots and fruits), cultivate solitude and contentment, restrain speech, discipline mind and senses, and maintain universal compassion toward all beings.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener on righteous conduct after the war, here prescribing a forest-ascetic mode of life marked by austerity, inner restraint, and kindness to all creatures.