Shloka 11
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
पत्राहारैरश्मकुट्टैदन्तोलूखलिकैस्तथा । अब्भक्षेवायुभक्षैश्न तैरयं नरको जित:
patrāhārair aśmakuṭṭair dantolūkhalikais tathā | abbhakṣair vāyubhakṣaiś ca tair ayaṃ narako jitaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: Aqueles ascetas que vivem de folhas, que subsistem de alimento moído sobre pedra, que mastigam apenas com os dentes sem depender de farinha de moinho ou de comida socada no pilão, e aqueles que vivem só de água—ou até de ar—por tais homens este “inferno” é vencido.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rigorous self-restraint (tapas) is portrayed as a force that overcomes ‘naraka’—whether understood as literal hell or as the hellish consequences of sin and uncontrolled desire—emphasizing ethical purification through disciplined living.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira cites extreme ascetic practices (leaf-diet, stone-ground fare, chewing without processed food, living on water or air) to illustrate how powerful austerity is considered in conquering suffering and moral downfall.