Shloka 11
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
लक्षण तु प्रसादस्य यथा स्वप्ने सुखं स्वपेत् । निवाते वा यथा दीपो दीप्यमानो न कम्पते
lakṣaṇaṁ tu prasādasya yathā svapne sukhaṁ svapet | nivāte vā yathā dīpo dīpyamāno na kampate ||
Vyāsa dit : Voici le signe de la clarté intérieure (prasāda) : de même qu’on dort heureux dans le sommeil, goûtant l’aisance du repos profond, et de même qu’une lampe allumée dans un lieu sans vent ne vacille pas mais brille d’un éclat stable—ainsi l’esprit, lorsqu’il est vraiment purifié, ne chancelle pas. Cette stabilité inébranlable est la marque de la pureté intérieure suprême.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is that true inner purity and serenity (prasāda) are recognized by steadiness: the mind remains unshaken and non-restless, like a lamp that does not flicker in a windless place, and like the ease experienced in deep, happy sleep.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is describing a practical criterion for spiritual and ethical maturity: not external display, but the inward sign of a mind that has become calm, stable, and free from agitation.