Bṛhaspati’s Counsel on Contentment
Santoṣa), Restraint, and Adroha (Non-injury
यदा संहरते कामान् कूर्मोडज़ानीव सर्वशः । तदा<5<त्मज्योतिरचिरात् स्वात्मन्येव प्रसीदति
yadā saṁharate kāmān kūrmo'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | tadā ātmajyotir acirāt svātmany eva prasīdati ||
デーヴァスターナは言った。「人があらゆる欲望を引き収め、亀が四方から肢を引き込めるようにするなら、自己(アートマン)の内なる光はほどなく静まり澄み、己が真実の在り方に安住する。」
देवस्थान उवाच
Restrain and withdraw desires completely—like a tortoise retracting its limbs—so that consciousness becomes steady; then the inner light (ātmajyotiḥ) quickly settles into serenity in the Self.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Devastāna instructs on inner discipline: the speaker uses a vivid simile (tortoise withdrawing limbs) to describe how a seeker should draw the mind back from sense-objects, leading to calm self-abidance.