Shloka 11
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
अवाक्शिरास्तु यो लम्बेदुदवासं च यो वसेत् । सततं चैकशायी य: स लभेतेप्सितां गतिम्
bhīṣma uvāca | avākśirās tu yo lambed udavāsaṃ ca yo vaset | satataṃ caikaśāyī yaḥ sa labhetepsitāṃ gatim |
Бхишма сказал: «Кто висит вниз головой, или пребывает в воде, и кто всегда спит один — соблюдая строгую воздержанность (брахмачарью), — тот подвижник достигает желанной цели».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that intense austerity (tapas) combined with sustained self-restraint—especially solitary living and implied continence—can lead an ascetic to the spiritual end he seeks (īpsitā gati).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and religious discipline, he cites examples of rigorous ascetic practices—hanging upside down, dwelling in water, and sleeping alone—to illustrate the power of tapas and brahmacharya in achieving a desired spiritual state.