Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
सुखं जीवन्ति मुनयो भैक्ष्यवृत्ति समाश्रिता: । अद्रोहेणैव भूतानां सारड्रा इव पक्षिण:
sukhaṃ jīvanti munayo bhaikṣya-vṛtti-samāśritāḥ | adroheṇaiva bhūtānāṃ sāraṅgā iva pakṣiṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Para resi hidup bahagia dengan bersandar pada laku hidup dari sedekah. Seperti burung sāraṅga, mereka menafkahi diri tanpa permusuhan terhadap makhluk mana pun—tidak menyakiti, tidak bertikai, dan bergantung pada apa yang diberikan dengan rela.
भीष्म उवाच
A life grounded in non-hostility (adroha) and simplicity—accepting alms without harming or opposing any being—brings inner ease; harmlessness and restraint are presented as the ethical foundation of ascetic livelihood.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches by analogy: he points to sages who live on alms and compares them to birds that subsist without enmity, emphasizing peaceful conduct and non-violence as a model for righteous living.