Shloka 5
निर्ममा निरहंकारा निर्दधन्धा निष्परिग्रहा: | शुचयस्तीर्थभूतास्ते ये भैक्ष्यमुपभुज्जते,जो ममता, अहंकार, राग-द्वेषादि द्वद्ध और परिग्रहसे रहित एवं भिक्षासे जीवन निर्वाह करते हैं, वे विशुद्ध अन्तःकरणवाले साधु पुरुष तीर्थस्वरूप हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | nirmamā nirahaṅkārā nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ | śucayas tīrthabhūtās te ye bhaikṣyam upabhuñjate ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Aqueles que estão livres do apego possessivo e do ego, que transcenderam os pares de opostos e não acumulam nem se prendem aos bens—esses de coração puro, que se sustentam de esmolas, são eles mesmos como lugares sagrados de peregrinação (tīrthas). Seu modo de vida torna-se uma lição viva de autocontrole, humildade e dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly holy person is defined not by external rites but by inner freedom: absence of possessiveness and ego, equanimity beyond dualities, and non-accumulation. Such a person, living simply on alms, becomes ‘tīrtha-like’—a source of purification and moral inspiration for others.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he describes the marks of purified ascetics and virtuous renouncers. He elevates their disciplined, non-possessive life as itself a sacred presence, comparable to a pilgrimage-site.