Shloka 11
संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
ऋषय: पितरो देवा मनुष्या मृगपक्षिण: । यानि चान्यानि भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च
ṛṣayaḥ pitaro devā manuṣyā mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ | yāni cānyāni bhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: “Los sabios, los antepasados, los dioses, los seres humanos, las bestias y las aves—y cualesquiera otros seres, inmóviles o móviles—todos están entregados a la austeridad. Por la austeridad alcanzan la realización; del mismo modo, incluso los dioses han llegado a sus excelsas posiciones mediante la austeridad.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tapas—disciplined austerity and sustained self-control—is presented as a universal principle by which all classes of beings gain power, stability, and attainment; even divine status and high positions are said to be achieved through tapas.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is teaching about the foundations of dharma and spiritual efficacy. Here he emphasizes, by listing all orders of beings (from sages and gods to animals and plants), that austerity is a common means to accomplishment and elevated states.