Shloka 13
Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution
बहूनां कलहो नित्य द्वयो: संकथन ध्रुवम् । एकाकी विचरिष्यामि कुमारीशंखको यथा
bahūnāṁ kalaho nityaṁ dvayoḥ saṅkathanaṁ dhruvam | ekākī vicariṣyāmi kumārī-śaṅkhako yathā ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Onde muitos vivem juntos, a discórdia surge dia após dia; e mesmo onde restam apenas dois, a conversa é inevitável. Portanto, vagarei sozinho — como um único bracelete de concha (sankha) usado na mão de uma donzela não casada.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights how social proximity easily breeds distraction and conflict: in crowds, quarrel is frequent; even with just two, conversation pulls the mind outward. The ethical counsel is to value solitude when seeking inner steadiness, restraint, and freedom from needless contention.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhishma voices a resolve for solitary wandering. He uses a vivid simile: a single conch bangle on an unmarried maiden’s hand makes no clinking sound, suggesting that aloneness reduces friction and disturbance.