Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 157 Shloka 15 - Mahabharata | French | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तिष्ठेयुरप्यभुज्जाना बहूनि दिवसान्यपि । शोषयेयुश्च गात्राणि स्वाध्यायै: संयतेन्द्रिया:,वे बहुत दिनोंतक बिना खाये रह सकते हैं और अपनी इन्द्रियोंको संयममें रखकर स्वाध्याय करते हुए शरीरको सुखा सकते हैं

Transliteration

tiṣṭheyur apy abhujjānā bahūni divasāny api | śoṣayeyuś ca gātrāṇi svādhyāyaiḥ saṃyatendriyāḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : Même sans prendre de nourriture, ils pouvaient demeurer inébranlables durant de nombreux jours ; et, les sens maîtrisés, ils pouvaient dessécher leur propre corps par l’étude de soi menée avec discipline—manifestant la puissance austère de la retenue et du savoir sacré.

Word by Word

तिष्ठेयुःthey could remain/stand

अपिeven/also

अभुज्जानाःnot eating (food)

बहूनिmany

दिवसानिdays

अपिeven/also

शोषयेयुःthey could dry up (cause to dry)

चand

गात्राणिlimbs/body

स्वाध्यायैःby (means of) self-study/recitation

संयतेन्द्रियाःwith restrained senses

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical-spiritual ideal of tapas: through fasting, restraint of the senses, and sustained svādhyāya, a person can cultivate extraordinary endurance and inner discipline, valuing self-mastery over bodily comfort.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing the capacities of highly disciplined practitioners—those who, by controlling appetite and senses and engaging in sacred study, can endure long periods without food and even allow the body to waste away, underscoring the power of ascetic practice within dharma discourse.