Shloka 14
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
तद्धत् संसारकान्तारमातिष्ठ न् श्रमतत्पर: । यात्रार्थमद्यादाहारं व्याधितो भेषजं यथा
tadvat saṃsārakāntāram ātiṣṭhan śramatatparaḥ | yātrārtham adyād āhāraṃ vyādhito bheṣajaṃ yathā ||
Demikian juga, dengan tinggal dalam rimba kehidupan duniawi dan tekun pada usaha yang jujur, seseorang hendaklah mengambil makanan hanya demi menyokong perjalanan hidup—seperti orang sakit menelan ubat, bukan untuk kesenangan tetapi untuk pemeliharaan nyawa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food should be taken with restraint and purity, primarily to sustain life and support one’s duties, not to indulge the palate—like medicine taken by a patient for survival rather than enjoyment.
Bhīṣma continues his instruction in the Śānti Parva, using the metaphor of saṃsāra as a dangerous forest to advise disciplined living: the householder should work diligently and eat only what is necessary for maintaining life.