Shloka 13
ध्यानयोगवर्णनम्
Description of the Path of Meditation
मांसशोणितसंघाते मेद:स्नाय्वस्थिसंचये । भिद्यमाने शरीरे तु जीवो नैवोपलभ्यते,रक्त और मांसके समूह, चर्बी, नाड़ी और हडियोंके संग्रहरूपी इस शरीरको चीरने- फाड़नेपर इसके भीतर कोई जीव नहीं उपलब्ध होता
māṁsaśoṇitasaṅghāte medaḥsnāyv-asthisaṁcaye | bhidyamāne śarīre tu jīvo naivopalabhyate ||
ఈ శరీరం మాంస-రక్త సమూహము, మేదస్సు, స్నాయువులు, ఎముకల సంగ్రహము; దీనిని చీల్చి చిదిమినప్పటికీ లోపల జీవుడు ప్రత్యక్షంగా ఎక్కడా లభించడు.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues that the true self (jīva/ātman) is not a physically observable entity inside the body. Since dissection reveals only material constituents—flesh, blood, fat, sinews, bones—the self must be understood as distinct from gross matter and known through subtler means (reasoning, śāstra, and inner realization), supporting detachment from bodily identification.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Bharadvāja presents a philosophical observation to challenge a purely material view of life and to redirect attention from the body’s components to the question of what truly constitutes the living self.