Shloka 5
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
अदूरादाश्रमं कज्चिद् वासार्थमगमं तदा
adūrād āśramaṃ kaścid vāsārtham agamaṃ tadā |
भीष्म उवाच—ततोऽहं तस्माद् अदूराद् आश्रमं कञ्चिद् वासार्थमगमं तदा। तत्र तपोधनं तनुं नाम महर्षिमायान्तमद्राक्षं, चीराजिनधरं, दीर्घकायं चातिकृशं च॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets an ethical frame: true spiritual authority is marked by austerity and simplicity. By introducing an emaciated, disciplined sage, the narrative signals that forthcoming counsel is grounded in tapas (self-restraint) rather than worldly power.
Bhīṣma narrates that he goes to a nearby hermitage to stay and encounters the ascetic sage Tanu, identifiable by bark-garments and deer-skin and by his tall, extremely lean body—preparing the scene for instruction or dialogue.