Shloka 11
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
मृन्मयं शरणं यद्वधन्मृदैव परिलिप्यते । पार्थिवो5यं तथा देहो मृद्विकारान्न नश्यति
mṛṇmayaṃ śaraṇaṃ yad vadhān mṛdaiva parilipyate | pārthivo 'yaṃ tathā deho mṛdvikārān na naśyati |
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Así como un refugio hecho de arcilla se mantiene seguro cuando se lo vuelve a enlucir con arcilla, del mismo modo este cuerpo terrenal no se destruye simplemente por ingerir lo que también es una modificación de la tierra—alimento y agua. Lo que es del mismo elemento lo sostiene, no lo arruina.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an analogy to teach that the body, being ‘earthy’ in constitution, is sustained by earthy substances (food and water) rather than harmed by them; it points toward a balanced, element-based understanding of bodily maintenance rather than fear or aversion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he illustrates a practical-philosophical point through a homely image—an earthen house protected by clay plaster—to clarify how the body relates to its material causes and supports.