Anuśāsana-parva Adhyāya 112: Dharma as the sole companion; karmic witnesses; rebirth sequences
Bṛhaspati–Yudhiṣṭhira Saṃvāda
निर्ममा निरहंकारा निर्दधन्धा निष्परिग्रहा: | शुचयस्तीर्थभूतास्ते ये भैक्ष्यमुपभुज्जते
bhīṣma uvāca | nirmamā nirahaṅkārā nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ | śucayas tīrthabhūtās te ye bhaikṣyam upabhuñjate ||
ビーシュマは言った。「所有への執着(ママター)と我執(アハンカーラ)を離れ、対立する二つの相を超え、蓄えず財に結びつかぬ者——乞食によって身を支える心清き人々は、それ自体が聖なる巡礼地(ティールタ)である。彼らの生き方は、節制と謙虚さ、そしてダルマの生きた教えとなる。」
भीष्म उवाच
A truly holy person is defined not by external rites but by inner freedom: absence of possessiveness and ego, equanimity beyond dualities, and non-accumulation. Such a person, living simply on alms, becomes ‘tīrtha-like’—a source of purification and moral inspiration for others.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he describes the marks of purified ascetics and virtuous renouncers. He elevates their disciplined, non-possessive life as itself a sacred presence, comparable to a pilgrimage-site.