Shloka 9
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
सामिषं कुररं दृष्टवा वध्यमानं निरामिषै: । आमिषस्य परित्यागात् कुरर: सुखमेधते
sāmiṣaṃ kuraraṃ dṛṣṭvā vadhyamānaṃ nirāmiṣaiḥ | āmiṣasya parityāgāt kuraraḥ sukham edhate ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Melihat burung kurara yang membawa sepotong daging, burung-burung lain yang tidak memiliki daging menyerangnya. Ketika ia melepaskan potongan daging itu, mereka berhenti mengejarnya. Demikianlah, dengan meninggalkan umpan kenikmatan indria, kurara menjadi tenteram dan bertumbuh dalam kebahagiaan—maka ia menjadi ‘guru’ karena mengajarkan pelepasan dari kesenangan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attachment to tempting possessions (āmiṣa, ‘bait’) invites conflict and suffering; relinquishing the object of craving removes the cause of harassment and brings peace—an ethical lesson in vairāgya (detachment).
A kurara bird flying with a piece of meat is attacked by other birds; when it drops the meat, the attackers stop, and the bird becomes safe and content—serving as an illustrative ‘guru’ for renouncing enjoyments.