Shloka 3
तुलाधार-उपदेशः
Tulādhāra’s Instruction to Jājali on Ahiṃsā and Abhaya-dāna
भूमे: स्थैर्य गुरुत्वं च काठिन्यं प्रसवार्थता । गन्धो गुरुत्वं शक्तिश्व संघात: स्थापना धृति:
bhūmeḥ sthairyaṃ gurutvaṃ ca kāṭhinyaṃ prasavārthatā | gandho gurutvaṃ śaktiś ca saṃghātaḥ sthāpanā dhṛtiḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Bumi dikenali melalui sifat-sifat ini: keteguhan, berat, kekerasan, kemampuan melahirkan (membuat benih bercambah dan menghasilkan), bau harum, kebesaran jisimnya, kekuatan, daya lekatan/keutuhan, kuasa menyokong serta menegakkan sesuatu, dan kuasa menanggung serta memelihara. Inilah yang dinyatakan sebagai sepuluh sifat Bumi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Earth is presented as an ethical model: it is stable, bears burdens, supports others, holds things together, and remains firm. The implied lesson is to cultivate steadiness, endurance, and supportive strength—qualities praised in dharma, especially for rulers and disciplined persons.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he enumerates the classical qualities of the earth element (pṛthivī), using a cosmological list that also serves as moral exemplification—how one should be stable, sustaining, and reliable.