Shloka 35

Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech

Devanagari script

क्षौीमं च कुशचीरं च कौशेयं वल्कलानि च । आविकं चर्म च सम॑ यस्य स्यान्मुक्त एव सः,“जिसके लिये सनके वस्त्र, कुशके चीर, रेशमी वस्त्र, वलकल, ऊनी वस्त्र और मृगचर्म --सब समान हैं, वह भी मुक्त ही है”

Transliteration

kṣaumam ca kuśacīram ca kauśeyam valkalāni ca | āvikam carma ca samaṁ yasya syān mukta eva saḥ ||

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ໃດທີ່ສໍາລັບເຂົາ ຜ້າລິນິນ, ເຄື່ອງນຸ່ງຈາກຫຍ້າກຸສະ, ຜ້າໄໝ, ຜ້າເປືອກໄມ້, ຜ້າຂົນສັດ, ແລະໜັງສັດ—ລ້ວນເທົ່າກັນ ແລະຈິດໃນບໍ່ຖືກກະທົບໂດຍຄວາມແຕກຕ່າງພາຍນອກ—ຜູ້ນັ້ນແມ່ນຜູ້ຫຼຸດພົ້ນແທ້».

Word by Word

क्षौमम्linen cloth

चand

कुशचीरम्a garment made of kuśa-grass

चand

कौशेयम्silk cloth

वल्कलानिbark-garments

चand

आविकम्woollen cloth

चर्मhide, skin (leather)

चand

समम्equal, the same

यस्यof whom, for whom

स्यात्would be / is (in the sense of 'is regarded as')

मुक्तःliberated, free

एवindeed, certainly

सःhe

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

kṣauma (linen cloth)

kuśa-cīra (kuśa-grass garment)

kauśeya (silk cloth)

valkala (bark-cloth)

āvika (woollen cloth)

carma (animal-hide)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Liberation is indicated by equanimity and non-attachment: when a person regards luxurious and austere garments alike—without craving, pride, or aversion—he is truly free.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the path toward peace and liberation. Here he characterizes the liberated person by inner sameness toward external conditions, using different kinds of clothing as examples.