Shloka 8
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
आकिंचन्यं सुखं लोके पथ्यं शिवमनामयम् । अनमित्रपथो होष दुर्लभ: सुलभो मत:
ākiñcanyaṁ sukhaṁ loke pathyaṁ śivam anāmayam | anamitra-patho hy eṣa durlabhaḥ sulabho mataḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「この世において、無所有こそが幸福である。それは身を養う正しき道であり、吉祥にして無病無難の道である。この道には怨みの入り込む隙がない――敵を恐れることもない。得がたいとされながらも、また近く容易に到り得るとも説かれる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that ākiñcanya—living without possessiveness and accumulation—is a direct source of happiness and safety. It is ethically wholesome and reduces conflict because it does not provoke rivalry or enmity; although renunciation seems difficult, it is accessible through inner resolve and disciplined living.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and peace after the war, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he praises the renunciant disposition as a practical path to welfare—one that avoids social hostility and leads to a calmer, less harmful life.