Shloka 133
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
वर्तयन्ति यथान्यायं वैखानसगतिं श्रिता: । वानप्रस्थ-धर्मका आश्रय लेकर कोई कन्द-मूलसे और कोई-कोई दृढ़ व्रतका पालन करते हुए फूलोंसे ही धर्मानुकूल जीविका चलाते हैं
vartayanti yathānyāyaṃ vaikhānasagatiṃ śritāḥ | vānaprastha-dharmakāḥ āśritya kecit kandamūlaiḥ, kecid dṛḍhavrataparāḥ, puṣpaiḥ eva dharmānukūlāṃ jīvikāṃ vartayanti |
Vyāsa berkata: Mereka yang berlindung pada jalan Vaikhānasa hidup selaras dengan yang benar. Menjalankan dharma vānaprastha, sebagian bertahan dengan umbi dan akar, sedangkan yang lain—teguh dalam tapa dan kaul yang keras—menopang hidup sesuai dharma dengan hanya menyantap bunga.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the forest-dweller (vānaprastha) should sustain life through a restrained, non-indulgent, and dharma-aligned livelihood—accepting minimal, naturally available food (roots, tubers, or even only flowers) while remaining steadfast in vows and propriety.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa describes the conduct of those who follow the Vaikhānasa-oriented forest discipline: they live rightly in the woods, some eating roots and tubers, others observing stricter vows and subsisting solely on flowers, exemplifying regulated renunciation.