Shloka 25
Vipula’s Yogic Protection of the Guru’s Household (विपुलस्य योगरक्षा / Vipulasya Yogarakṣā)
नाग्निस्तृप्यति काष्ठानां नापगानां महोदधि: । नानतकः सर्वभूतानां न पुंसां वामलोचना:
nāgnis tṛpyati kāṣṭhānāṁ nāpagānāṁ mahodadhiḥ | nāntakaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ na puṁsāṁ vāmalocanāḥ ||
Api tak pernah puas oleh kayu bakar, samudra raya pun tak pernah puas oleh sungai-sungai yang mengalir masuk. Antaka (Maut), sekalipun merenggut semua makhluk hidup sekaligus, tetap tak akan puas; demikian pula perempuan bermata elok tak pernah puas terhadap laki-laki.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That some drives—especially craving and acquisitiveness—do not naturally end through indulgence; they intensify like fire fed by wood or the ocean receiving rivers. Therefore dharma emphasizes restraint (dama), discrimination (viveka), and moderation rather than feeding limitless desire.
Bhīṣma is delivering moral instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, using vivid natural analogies (fire, ocean, death) to caution about insatiability and to guide conduct and self-governance.