Shloka 52
Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
निर्मुक्तस्य रजोरूपान्नापराधो भवेन्मम | यथा हि शून्यां पथिक: सभामध्यावसेत् पथि
nirmuktasya rajorūpān nāparādho bhaven mama | yathā hi śūnyāṃ pathikaḥ sabhāmadhyāvased pathi |
Bhishma dit : «Puisque je suis affranchi des formes du rajas (passion et agitation), aucune faute ne peut m’être imputée. De même qu’un voyageur peut, sans attachement, se reposer dans un gîte désert au bord du chemin, ainsi—demeurant vigilant—j’entrerai et séjournerai dans le corps de l’épouse du maître, de sorte que ma présence y soit possible.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Freedom from rajas (passionate agitation) is presented as a safeguard against ethical fault: when action is undertaken without desire, possessiveness, or self-serving impulse, it is less likely to generate culpability. The verse uses an analogy of a traveler resting briefly in an empty place to illustrate non-attachment and temporary, duty-bound presence.
Bhishma explains his intention to enter and reside in another’s body—specifically the guru’s wife—while claiming inner detachment and vigilance. He frames this extraordinary act as ethically non-culpable due to his freedom from rajas, likening it to a traveler taking temporary shelter without ownership or attachment.