Shloka 11
Ākiṃcanya–Tyāga Upadeśa
The Instruction on Non-ownership and Renunciation
ततो<पश्यत् सुरम्येषु सुवर्णसिकताचिते
tato ’paśyat suramyeṣu suvarṇa-sikatā-citeṣu nara-īśvara
ततोऽपश्यत् सुरम्येषु सुवर्णसिकताचितेषु प्रदेशेषु गौतमो मुनिः समे सुखे विचित्रे स्वर्गभूमिसमे मनोहरस्थले महान्तं सुमण्डलं न्यग्रोधं ददर्श। स सर्वतो मण्डलाकारं विस्तीर्णः, बहुभिः सुन्दरशाखाभिः महच्छत्र इव शोभते स्म। तस्य मूलानि चन्दनमिश्रितेन वारिणा संसिक्तानि पोषितानि च आसन्।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a sacred, orderly landscape—golden sand, a canopy-like banyan, sandalwood-scented water—as an external sign of inner dharmic harmony. Such imagery commonly signals a setting fit for tapas, instruction, or a morally significant encounter, emphasizing purity, auspiciousness, and calm as supports for ethical discernment.
Bhishma narrates that Gautama, moving through delightful regions, comes upon an extraordinary banyan tree spreading like a royal parasol. The place is described as level, pleasant, and heaven-like, with the tree’s roots watered by sandalwood-mixed water—preparing the scene for whatever meeting or teaching follows.