Mahabharata 3.201.104 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 104
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
पुण्यादेव प्रव्रजन्ति शुद्धयन्त्यमशनानि च । न मूलफलभभक्षित्वान्न मौनान्नानिलाशनात्
puṇyād eva pravrajanti śuddhayanty amaśanāni ca | na mūla-phala-bhakṣitvān na maunān nānilāśanāt ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Dengan jasa kebajikan (puṇya) semata-mata manusia benar-benar mampu meninggalkan dunia dan mencapai jalan yang luhur; dan dengan jasa kebajikan jugalah puasa menjadi penyuci. Bukan dengan sekadar hidup memakan akar dan buah, bukan dengan berdiam diri, dan bukan dengan ‘hidup daripada angin’ seseorang mencapai kesucian. Pertapaan lahir yang kosong daripada kesucian batin dan niat tanpa pamrih tidak membersihkan diri; kekuatan etika daripada puṇya yang sejati itulah yang menuntun ke jalan yang lebih tinggi.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True purification and genuine renunciation arise from puṇya—ethical merit grounded in inner purity and selfless intention—not from external austerities performed mechanically or for display.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the value of ascetic practices, emphasizing that fasting and renunciant disciplines become meaningful only when supported by inner virtue; mere outward vows like fruit-and-root diet, silence, or extreme deprivation do not by themselves confer spiritual purity.
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