Shloka 11
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
मृन्मयं शरणं यद्वधन्मृदैव परिलिप्यते । पार्थिवो5यं तथा देहो मृद्विकारान्न नश्यति
mṛṇmayaṃ śaraṇaṃ yad vadhān mṛdaiva parilipyate | pārthivo 'yaṃ tathā deho mṛdvikārān na naśyati |
ビーシュマは言った。「土で作られた住まいは、土で塗り重ねれば守られて保たれる。同じように、この地の身体も、地の変化である食と水を取り入れるだけで滅びはしない。同一の元素はそれを損なうのではなく、むしろ支えるのだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an analogy to teach that the body, being ‘earthy’ in constitution, is sustained by earthy substances (food and water) rather than harmed by them; it points toward a balanced, element-based understanding of bodily maintenance rather than fear or aversion.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he illustrates a practical-philosophical point through a homely image—an earthen house protected by clay plaster—to clarify how the body relates to its material causes and supports.