Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 3
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)
शयनं चैकपार्श्वेन दिवसानेकविंशतिम् । अकिंचिदुक्त्वा गमनं॑ बहिश्न मुनिपुंगव
Kuśika uvāca: śayanaṃ caikapārśvena divasānekaviṃśatim | akiṃcid uktvā gamanaṃ bahiṣṇa munipuṅgava ||
કુશિકે કહ્યું—એકવીસ દિવસ તે માત્ર એક જ બાજુએ શયન કરતો રહ્યો. પછી કશુંય ન કહી તે મુનિશ્રેષ્ઠ બહાર નીકળી ગયો—ધૈર્યવાન અને વિરક્ત જેવો.
कुशिक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ascetic discipline and inner steadiness: enduring physical hardship (lying on one side for many days) and maintaining silence and detachment, suggesting that restraint and non-reactivity are marks of a true sage.
Kuśika describes a sage’s conduct: he remains in a severe posture for twenty-one days, then leaves without speaking, emphasizing the sage’s endurance and withdrawal from engagement.