Shloka 2
शल्मलि–पवनसंवादः
The Dialogue of Śalmali and Pavana
ईदृशेनैव तपसा गच्छेयं परमां गतिम् । इति बुद्धया विनिश्चित्य गमनायोपचक्रमे
īdṛśenaiva tapasā gaccheyaṃ paramāṃ gatim | iti buddhyā viniścitya gamanāyopacakrame |
Bhishma berkata: “Dengan tapa seperti inilah aku juga akan mencapai keadaan tertinggi.” Setelah menetapkan tekad itu dengan pertimbangan budinya sendiri, si pemburu burung—yang selama ini menyara hidup melalui burung-burung—pun berangkat dari sana, menempuh jalan Mahāprasthāna, ‘Keberangkatan Agung’. Ia meninggalkan segala usaha, hidup hanya dengan ‘meminum’ udara; dan kerana mendambakan syurga, ia menarik kembali rasa ‘milikku’ daripada segala sesuatu yang lain.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Firm resolve (niścaya) grounded in discernment (buddhi) can turn one toward the highest goal (paramā gati). The verse highlights ascetic discipline and the ethical inner act of relinquishing possessiveness (mamatā) as essential to spiritual progress.
A fowler, inspired to seek the highest state through similar austerity, decides decisively to depart on a renunciant path. He gives up ordinary efforts and attachments, living on minimal sustenance (symbolically ‘air’) and orienting his life toward a transcendent aim.