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 disse: Ele permaneceu na floresta, firme em suas austeridades, e ainda assim não discerniu verdadeiramente o dharma. Na estação das chuvas, deitava-se exposto sob o céu aberto; e no inverno, buscava refúgio na água—praticando severa mortificação, mas sem a reta visão moral que dá valor à austeridade.
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.