Shloka 5
भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः
Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline
ये चैनं॑ पक्षमाश्रित्य निवर्तन्त्यल्पमेधस: । स्वभावं कारणं ज्ञात्वा न श्रेय: प्राप्तुवन्ति ते
ye cainaṁ pakṣam āśritya nivartanty alpamedhasaḥ | svabhāvaṁ kāraṇaṁ jñātvā na śreyaḥ prāptuvanti te ||
Vyāsa dit : Ceux qui ont peu d’entendement, qui se réfugient dans cette opinion et s’en détournent—tenant la seule “nature” (svabhāva) pour cause—n’atteignent pas le véritable bien. En niant un principe supérieur de gouvernement et en se retirant de la quête révérencieuse du Suprême, ils se privent de la voie qui mène au bien durable.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merely attributing everything to svabhāva (nature) and abandoning reverent striving for the highest good is portrayed as an error of limited understanding; such a stance blocks śreyas—lasting welfare and spiritual good.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa warns against a particular doctrinal ‘side’ (pakṣa): a naturalistic/atheistic view that treats nature alone as the cause and leads people to withdraw from worship and higher pursuit; he states that such people fail to attain true well-being.