Shloka 5
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
अदूरादाश्रमं कज्चिद् वासार्थमगमं तदा
adūrād āśramaṃ kaścid vāsārtham agamaṃ tadā |
Bhīṣma dit : «Puis, non loin de là, je me rendis à un ermitage pour y trouver un lieu où demeurer. Là, je vis s’avancer un grand sage ascète nommé Tanu, vêtu d’écorce et d’une peau de daim. Son corps était très grand et d’une maigreur extrême.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets an ethical frame: true spiritual authority is marked by austerity and simplicity. By introducing an emaciated, disciplined sage, the narrative signals that forthcoming counsel is grounded in tapas (self-restraint) rather than worldly power.
Bhīṣma narrates that he goes to a nearby hermitage to stay and encounters the ascetic sage Tanu, identifiable by bark-garments and deer-skin and by his tall, extremely lean body—preparing the scene for instruction or dialogue.