Shloka 6
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
यथा मातरमश्रित्य सर्वे जीवन्ति जन्तव: । एवं गार्हस्थ्यमाश्रित्य वर्तन्त इतराश्रमा:
yathā mātaram āśritya sarve jīvanti jantavaḥ | evaṁ gārhasthyam āśritya vartanta itarāśramāḥ ||
எவ்வாறு எல்லா உயிர்களும் தாயைச் சார்ந்து வாழ்கின்றனவோ, அவ்வாறே இல்லற ஆசிரமத்தைச் சார்ந்தே பிற ஆசிரமங்கள் நிலைபெறுகின்றன.
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the interdependence of the four āśramas, emphasizing that gārhasthya (householder life) sustains the others—much like a mother sustains living beings—through support, provision, and protection within dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Kapila speaks as a teacher, using a vivid simile (mother and creatures) to explain why the householder order is foundational for the functioning of the other life-stages.