Shloka 17
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
सांकृति: सुदिवा तण्डियथावासो5कृतश्रम: । अहोवीर्यस्तथा काव्यस्ताण्ड्यो मेधातिथिबुध:
sāṅkṛtiḥ sudivā taṇḍi yathāvāso'kṛtaśramaḥ | ahovīryas tathā kāvyas tāṇḍyo medhātithir budhaḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : «Sāṅkṛti, Sudivā, Taṇḍi, Yathāvāsa, Akṛtaśrama, Aho-vīrya, Kāvyā (Śukrācārya), Tāṇḍya, Medhātithi et Budha : ces sages aussi observèrent la discipline du résident des forêts (vānaprastha). En soutenant et en propageant ce dharma, même dans les âges ultérieurs, ils atteignirent les mondes célestes.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces the authority and continuity of vānaprastha-dharma: exemplary sages practiced disciplined withdrawal, austerity, and teaching, showing that this life-stage is a respected ethical path leading to spiritual merit and higher worlds.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa cites a roster of revered figures as precedents—naming those who observed the forest-dweller discipline—thereby validating the practice through lineage and example.