Shloka 36
सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्
Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga
अरोषमोह: समलोष्टकाञउचन: प्रहीणकोशो गतसंधिविग्रह: । अपेतनिन्न्दास्तुतिरप्रियाप्रिय- श्वरन्नुदासीनवदेष भिक्षुक:
aroṣamohaḥ samaloṣṭakāñcanaḥ prahīṇakośo gatasandhivigrahaḥ | apetanindāstutir apriyapriyaś carann udāsīnavad eṣa bhikṣukaḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : Un tel mendiant n’est atteint ni par la colère ni par l’illusion. Il tient pour égaux une motte de terre et l’or. Ayant rejeté le sentiment de possession et l’orgueil de ses « réserves » (kośas), il dépasse les élans d’alliance et d’hostilité, et demeure libre du blâme comme de la louange. Pour lui, nul n’est particulièrement cher et nul n’est haï ; traversant le monde tel un indifférent, il poursuit son errance—ferme dans le renoncement et l’équanimité.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines the ideal renunciant: one who is free from anger and delusion, equal-minded toward wealth and poverty, untouched by praise and blame, and beyond the social-political reflexes of alliance and enmity. Ethical maturity is shown as inner steadiness—no compulsive liking or disliking—expressed as detached wandering and harmlessness.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa describes the marks of a true bhikṣuka (mendicant). Rather than a plot event, this is a didactic characterization meant to guide conduct: how a renouncer should relate to possessions, reputation, and interpersonal conflict.