Shloka 188
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
अपूर्व सर्वतोभद्रं सर्वतोमुखमव्ययम् | अब्दैर्दशाहसंयुक्तं गूढमप्राज्ञनिन्दितम्
apūrvaṁ sarvatobhadraṁ sarvatomukham avyayam | abdair daśāha-saṁyuktaṁ gūḍham aprājña-ninditam ||
Bhīṣma said: “I once revealed in former times a sacred observance called the Pāśupata vow—unprecedented in its kind. In means and in attainment, in every condition, it is wholly beneficent; it is ‘facing all directions,’ fit for all classes and stages of life, and, as a discipline leading toward liberation, it is imperishable. It is gained through sustained meritorious practice over time and by cultivating the tenfold disciplines of restraint and observance. It is profound and hidden in its depth; the unwise disparage it.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A genuinely liberating religious discipline may be universally applicable and deeply beneficial, yet remain subtle and easily misunderstood; therefore it is often criticized by the undiscerning. True practice requires sustained merit and disciplined ethical-spiritual training (the ‘tenfold’ restraints/observances).
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes an ancient, profound observance—the Pāśupata vow—praising its universal suitability and imperishable spiritual value, while noting that ignorant people tend to disparage what they do not understand.