Shloka 175
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
यथा पुष्करपर्णस्थं जल॑ तत्पर्णमस्पृशत् । तिष्ठत्यस्पृशती तद्वत् त्वयि वत्स्यामि मैथिल
yathā puṣkaraparṇasthaṃ jalaṃ tatparṇam aspṛśat | tiṣṭhaty aspṛśatī tadvat tvayi vatsyāmi maithila mithilānareśa ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Maithila, roi de Mithilā ! De même que l’eau posée sur la feuille de lotus ne touche pas réellement la feuille, ainsi demeurerai-je en toi, sans te toucher.»
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
One can remain engaged in life and duty while staying inwardly unattached—like water on a lotus leaf—preserving purity, restraint, and freedom from clinging.
Bhīṣma addresses the king of Mithilā (Maithila/Janaka) and uses the lotus-leaf metaphor to describe dwelling ‘within’ or among another’s sphere without being tainted or entangled—emphasizing disciplined, non-possessive association.