Shloka 8
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
आकिंचन्यं सुखं लोके पथ्यं शिवमनामयम् । अनमित्रपथो होष दुर्लभ: सुलभो मत:,'संसारमें अकिंचनता ही सुख है। वही हितकारक, कल्याणकारी और निरापद है। इस मार्गमें किसी प्रकारके शत्रुका भी खटका नहीं है। यह दुर्लभ होनेपर भी सुलभ है
ākiñcanyaṁ sukhaṁ loke pathyaṁ śivam anāmayam | anamitra-patho hy eṣa durlabhaḥ sulabho mataḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Di dunia ini, tidak memiliki apa-apa itulah kebahagiaan. Ia suatu jalan yang baik, membawa berkat, dan bebas mudarat. Pada jalan ini tiada ruang bagi permusuhan—tiada gentar akan musuh. Walaupun dianggap sukar dicapai, ia juga dikatakan mudah didekati.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that ākiñcanya—living without possessiveness and accumulation—is a direct source of happiness and safety. It is ethically wholesome and reduces conflict because it does not provoke rivalry or enmity; although renunciation seems difficult, it is accessible through inner resolve and disciplined living.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and peace after the war, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he praises the renunciant disposition as a practical path to welfare—one that avoids social hostility and leads to a calmer, less harmful life.