Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
अश्मना चरणोौ भित्त्वा गुह्॒ुकेषु स मोदते । साधयित्वा55त्मना>5>5त्मान निर्दधन्द्धो निष्परिग्रह:
aśmanā caraṇau bhittvā guhakeṣu sa modate | sādhayitvā ātmanā ātmānaṃ nirdvandvo niṣparigrahaḥ ||
ພຣະມະເຫສະວະຣະກ່າວວ່າ: «ເມື່ອໃຊ້ຫີນແຕກທະລຸຕີນຂອງຕົນ ແລະ ປ່ອຍວາງກາຍ, ຜູ້ນັ້ນຍ່ອມຊື່ນບານຢູ່ທ່າມກາງພວກກູຫຍະກະ. ຜູ້ໃດພຶ່ງຕົນເອງໃນການດຳຮົງຊີວິດ, ພົ້ນຈາກຄູ່ຕົວຕ້ານ ແລະ ບໍ່ມີຊັບສິນ, ຖືວິໄນເປັນວຣະຕະ 12 ປີ; ແລະເມື່ອສິ້ນສຸດ, ໃຊ້ຫີນຈິ້ມແຕກຕີນຂອງຕົນ ແລະ ສະຫຼະກາຍ—ຜູ້ນັ້ນຈະໄດ້ເຖິງໂລກກູຫຍະກະ ແລະ ເສວຍສຸກຢູ່ທີ່ນັ້ນ»។
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises rigorous ascetic discipline: living with self-reliance, freedom from dualities, and non-possessiveness. Such sustained vow-observance is presented as producing a specific posthumous spiritual reward—attainment of the Guhyaka realm—highlighting the Mahabharata’s theme that inner restraint and renunciation can yield transcendent results.
Maheśvara describes the fate of an ascetic who completes a long vow (twelve years, per the accompanying gloss), lives without possessions and without being shaken by opposites, and finally relinquishes the body through an extreme act involving a stone and his feet. The narrative outcome is that he reaches the world of the Guhyakas and experiences joy there.