Shloka 44
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
तेषां विमृशतामेव तत् तत्समभिधावताम् | क्वचिन्निविशते बुद्धिस्तत्र जीर्यति वृक्षवत्
teṣāṃ vimṛśatām eva tat-tat-samabhidhāvatām | kvacin niviśate buddhis tatra jīryati vṛkṣavat ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Chez ceux qui délibèrent sans cesse tout en courant d’une doctrine à l’autre, l’intellect finit parfois par se fixer en un point; et, une fois fixé, il y vieillit et s’y raidit—tel un arbre qui prend racine.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Constantly chasing multiple, competing viewpoints can exhaust discernment; even when the mind finally settles, it may become rigid and stagnant if it merely “takes root” in a fixed opinion rather than maturing into clear, living wisdom.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he comments on the condition of seekers who keep debating and running after different doctrines; he observes how their intellect may eventually lodge in one position and then become hardened and worn there, like a tree rooted in one spot.