Shloka 6
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
तत्र चीराजिनधरं कृशमुच्चमतीव च । अद्राक्षमृषिमायान्तं तनुं नाम तपोधनम्
tatra cīrājinadharaṁ kṛśam uccam atīva ca | adrākṣam ṛṣim āyāntaṁ tanuṁ nāma tapodhanam ||
Là, je vis s’avancer le sage nommé Tanu, trésor d’austérité, vêtu d’écorce et d’une peau de daim. Il était d’une taille démesurée et d’une maigreur extrême ; sa seule apparence attestait une vie de discipline implacable.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tapas (austerity) as a visible ethical force: the sage’s simple dress and emaciated frame signify disciplined restraint and renunciation, implying that inner virtue and spiritual wealth can outweigh material prosperity.
Bhishma narrates that he encounters an approaching ascetic named Tanu, identifiable by the traditional marks of a forest renunciant—bark clothing and deerskin—and by his strikingly tall yet extremely thin body, suggesting intense austerities.