Shloka 99
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
चिताधूमेन नीलेन संरज्यन्ते च पादपा: । श्मशाने च निराहारा: प्रतिनर्दन्ति देहिन:
citādhūmena nīlena saṃrajyante ca pādapāḥ | śmaśāne ca nirāhārāḥ pratinardanti dehinaḥ ||
«Teints par la fumée bleu sombre du bûcher funéraire, les arbres d’ici ont pris cette même couleur. Et dans ce lieu de crémation, des êtres qui vivent sans nourriture —esprits errants et semblables— rugissent en écho.»
गृध्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and contemplative force of mortality: the cremation-ground’s smoke stains even the surrounding trees, reminding one that death’s presence permeates the world. Such imagery urges detachment, sobriety, and a dharmic awareness of impermanence.
The vulture describes a cremation-ground scene: smoke from pyres has darkened the trees, and uncanny, hungerless beings (understood in context as restless spirits) are making loud, echoing cries—an atmosphere of dread and inauspiciousness.