Shloka 10
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
गृहारम्भो हि दुःखाय न सुखाय कदाचन । सर्प: परकृतं वेश्म प्रविश्य सुखमेधते
gṛhārambho hi duḥkhāya na sukhāya kadācana | sarpaḥ parakṛtaṃ veśma praviśya sukham edhate ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Usaha membina dan memelihara rumah tangga sesungguhnya menjadi sebab penderitaan, bukanlah sumber kebahagiaan yang kekal. Lihatlah ular: ia memasuki tempat tinggal yang dibuat oleh orang lain dan hidup dengan tenang.” Melalui perumpamaan ini, Bhīṣma memuji sikap tidak melekat dan kebebasan daripada beban memiliki, menjadikan ular sebagai ‘guru’ hidup tanpa sifat kepunyaan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that attachment to building and owning a home brings ongoing trouble and anxiety, whereas freedom from possessiveness—living lightly without ‘mine-ness’—supports peace. The snake exemplifies using what is available without the burden of acquisition.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he uses a brief analogy: a snake comfortably occupies a dwelling made by others. The point is to counsel a life of minimal entanglement and to discourage obsession with house-building and property.