Shloka 8
संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
अहिंसा सत्यवचनं दानमिन्द्रियनिग्रह: । एतेभ्यो हि महाराज तपो नानशनात् परम्,महाराज! अहिंसा, सत्यभाषण, दान और इन्द्रिय-संयम--इन सबसे बढ़कर तप है और उपवाससे बड़ी कोई तपस्या नहीं है
ahiṃsā satyavacanaṃ dānam indriyanigrahaḥ | etebhyo hi mahārāja tapo nānaśanāt param ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Wahai raja agung, ahiṃsā (tidak menyakiti), berkata benar, bersedekah, dan mengekang indera—semuanya itu adalah tapas. Namun melampaui semuanya, tiada penebusan atau pertapaan yang lebih tinggi daripada berpuasa (upavāsa).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma ranks key moral disciplines—non-violence, truthfulness, charity, and sense-control—as forms of tapas, and then emphasizes fasting as a supreme austerity because it directly curbs craving and strengthens self-mastery in the pursuit of dharma.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he is enumerating virtues and austerities, presenting a hierarchy of ethical practices and highlighting fasting as an especially powerful discipline.