Shloka 23
Durgātitaraṇa—Conduct for Crossing Difficulties (दुर्गातितरणम्)
यात्रार्थ भोजन येषां संतानार्थ च मैथुनम् । वाक् सत्यवचनार्थाय दुर्गाण्यतितरन्ति ते
yātrārtha-bhojanaṁ yeṣāṁ santānārthaṁ ca maithunam | vāk satya-vacanārthāya durgāṇy atitaranti te ||
Mereka yang makan hanya untuk menopang perjalanan hidup (bukan demi rasa), yang bersatu demi keturunan (bukan demi pemanjaan nafsu), dan yang berbicara semata untuk mengatakan kebenaran—mereka menyeberangi bahkan rintangan dan krisis yang paling sukar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moderation and restraint in bodily appetites (food and sex) together with unwavering truthfulness in speech form a practical dharmic discipline; such a life equips a person to overcome severe difficulties.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he summarizes a rule of disciplined living—eat to live, engage in sexuality with the aim of progeny, and speak only truth—stating that such people pass safely through crises.