Shloka 13
मोक्षधर्मः — स्नेहपाशच्छेदः
Mokṣa-dharma: Cutting the Bonds of Attachment
शून्यागारं वृक्षमूलमरण्यम थवा गुहाम् । अज्ञातचर्या गत्वान्यां ततो<न्यत्रैव संविशेत्
śūnyāgāraṁ vṛkṣamūlam araṇyaṁ athavā guhām | ajñātacaryāṁ gatvānyāṁ tato 'nyatraiva saṁviśet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Qu’il se retire dans une demeure vide, au pied d’un arbre, dans la forêt ou dans une grotte de montagne. Ayant adopté une manière de vivre inconnue et sans éclat, qu’il gagne un autre lieu puis s’y établisse—caché et tout entier voué à la contemplation intérieure.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
To cultivate detachment and inner discipline by living simply and inconspicuously—choosing secluded shelters and avoiding recognition—so the mind can remain focused on self-reflection and spiritual practice.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and the path of restraint/renunciation. Here he advises a seeker to stay in secluded places (empty house, tree-root, forest, cave) and to live incognito, shifting residence to remain unobtrusive and devoted to contemplation.