Shloka 51

Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession

Devanagari script

अपि मूलफलाजीवो रमस्वैको महावने । वाग्यतः संगृहीतात्मा सर्वभूतदयान्वित:,तुम मूल-फलसे जीवन-निर्वाह करते हुए विशाल वनमें अकेले ही विचरण करो। वाणीको संयममें रखकर मन और इन्द्रियोंको काबूमें करो और सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके प्रति दयाभाव बनाये रखो

Transliteration

api mūlaphalājīvo ramasvaiko mahāvane | vāgyataḥ saṅgṛhītātmā sarvabhūtadayānvitaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: Walaupun engkau terpaksa hidup hanya dengan akar dan buah-buahan, tinggallah dengan reda seorang diri di rimba yang besar. Tahanlah pertuturan, disiplinkan diri batin, dan peliharalah belas kasihan terhadap semua makhluk.

Word by Word

अपिeven/also

मूलफलाजीवःone whose livelihood is (only) roots and fruits

रमस्वtake delight / live happily

एकःalone

महावनेin the great forest

वाक्by speech / in speech

यतःrestrained

संगृहीतात्माone whose self (mind) is controlled

सर्वभूतदयान्वितःendowed with compassion toward all beings

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

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?

Bhīṣma teaches a dharmic ascetic ideal: accept simple sustenance (roots and fruits), cultivate solitude and contentment, restrain speech, discipline mind and senses, and maintain universal compassion toward all beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener on righteous conduct after the war, here prescribing a forest-ascetic mode of life marked by austerity, inner restraint, and kindness to all creatures.