Shloka 18
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
एवमेता: शिरा नद्यो रसोदा देहसागरम् । तर्पयन्ति यथाकालमापगा इव सागरम्,जैसे नदियाँ अपने जलसे यथासमय समुद्रको तृप्त करती रहती हैं, उसी प्रकार रसको बहानेवाली ये नाड़ीरूप नदियाँ इस देह-सागरको तृप्त किया करती हैं
evam etāḥ śirā nadyo rasodā deha-sāgaram | tarpayanti yathā-kālam āpagā iva sāgaram ||
Bhishma bersabda: “Sebagaimana sungai-sungai, pada musimnya, terus mengisi lautan dengan airnya, demikian juga ‘sungai-sungai’ berupa urat yang membawa rasa ini, pada waktunya, menyuburkan dan memuaskan lautan tubuh ini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches, through a natural metaphor, that the body is sustained by orderly, time-bound flows of nourishment: as rivers feed the sea, so the channels (śirāḥ) carrying rasa maintain the body. Ethically, it supports a dharmic view of the body as a governed system—meant to be cared for with moderation and right timing rather than indulgence or neglect.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he explains aspects of embodied life using illustrative comparisons. Here he describes internal physiology by likening veins and nutritive fluids to rivers that continually replenish the ocean, emphasizing the regular maintenance of the body.