Shloka 3
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 ||
जसा कासव सर्व बाजूंनी आपले अवयव आत ओढून घेतो, तसा मनुष्य जेव्हा सर्व कामना आवरून घेतो, तेव्हा लवकरच आत्मज्योती स्वतःच्या स्वरूपातच शांत व स्थिर होते.
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.