Shloka 5
Varṇāśrama-ācāra and Vikarma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Safe Dharmas (शिवधर्मप्रश्नः)
तत्रारण्यकशास्त्राणि समधीत्य स धर्मवित् । ऊर्ध्वरेता: प्रव्रजित्वा गच्छत्यक्षरसात्मताम्
tatrāraṇyakśāstrāṇi samadhītya sa dharmavit | ūrdhvaretaḥ pravrajitvā gacchaty akṣarasātmatām ||
Di sana, sang pemaham dharma hendaknya mempelajari ajaran-ajaran Āraṇyaka dengan tuntas dan hidup menurut tata laku vānaprastha. Sesudah itu, dengan menjaga brahmacarya yang teguh, ia hendaknya meninggalkan tahap itu dan, menurut aturan, menerima sannyāsa. Dengan demikian, ia mencapai keadaan yang tak binasa—kesatuan diri dengan Yang Kekal (Brahman).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a graded spiritual path within the āśrama framework: study of contemplative Vedic teachings (Āraṇyakas), disciplined forest-dweller life (vānaprastha), then celibate renunciation (pravrajyā/sannyāsa), culminating in realization of the Imperishable—Brahman.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he describes how a dharma-knower should progress from forest discipline and scriptural study to formal renunciation, presenting liberation as the ethical and spiritual end of this progression.