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 ||
कुशिक ने कहा—इक्कीस दिनों तक वह केवल एक ही करवट लेटा रहा। फिर कुछ भी कहे बिना वह मुनियों में श्रेष्ठ बाहर की ओर निकल पड़ा—धैर्यवान और विरक्त-सा होकर चला गया।
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.