Shloka 41
Adhyāya 208: Aṅgirasī-kanyāḥ
Enumeration of Aṅgiras’ daughters and attribute-names
यथाहं प्रति पूजा च सर्वभूतेषु वै सदा । त्यागान्नान्यत्र मर्त्यानां गणास्तिष्ठन्ति पूरुषे,अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार सदा दूसरोंको अन्न देना, दूसरोंके अपराध तथा शीत-उष्ण आदि द्वन्दोंको सहन करना, सदा धर्ममें दृढ़तापूर्वक लगे रहना तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंमें सभी पूजनीय पुरुषोंका यथायोग्य पूजन करना--ये मनुष्योंके सदगुण पुरुषमें स्वार्थत्यागके बिना नहीं रह पाते हैं
vyādha uvāca | yathāhaṃ prati pūjā ca sarvabhūteṣu vai sadā | tyāgān nānyatra martyānāṃ gaṇās tiṣṭhanti pūruṣe ||
Disse o caçador: “Quanto à reverência que me é prestada e à honra constante tributada a todos os seres vivos, tais conjuntos de virtudes não permanecem no homem em parte alguma sem a renúncia de si. Somente ao abandonar o interesse próprio pode-se sustentar a generosidade conforme a capacidade, suportar as faltas alheias e as oposições do frio e do calor, permanecer firmemente estabelecido no dharma e oferecer o respeito devido a todos os dignos entre as criaturas.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that enduring virtues—generosity, forbearance, steadfastness in dharma, and reverence toward all beings—cannot truly reside in a person without tyāga (self-renunciation). Ethical excellence is grounded in relinquishing self-centeredness.
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the hunter instructs a seeker in dharma, the Vyādha explains that the respect shown to him and the practice of honoring all beings are not mere social gestures; they are signs of inner renunciation, without which such virtues do not endure.