Shloka 15
कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः
Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas
वने तपस्यतिष्ठत् स न च धर्ममवैक्षत । वर्षास्वाकाशशायी च हेमन्ते जलसंश्रय:
vane tapasyatiṣṭhat sa na ca dharmam avaikṣata | varṣāsv ākāśaśāyī ca hemante jalasaṃśrayaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Dia tinggal di rimba, teguh dalam tapa, namun tidak benar-benar menyingkap dharma. Pada musim hujan dia berbaring di bawah langit terbuka, dan pada musim sejuk dia berlindung dalam air—mengamalkan penyeksaan diri yang keras, tetapi tanpa wawasan moral yang benar yang memberi nilai pada tapa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity by itself is not sufficient; without clear perception of dharma (moral discernment and right purpose), even extreme ascetic practices can be spiritually and ethically hollow.
Bhīṣma describes an ascetic who performs harsh seasonal austerities—sleeping under the open sky in the rains and immersing in water in winter—yet fails to grasp or follow dharma, highlighting the gap between external practice and inner ethical understanding.