Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 34
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
ईषदुच्छवसमानस्तु कृच्छात् संस्तभ्य पन्नग: । उत्ससर्ज गिरं मन्दां मानुषीं पाशपीडित:
īṣad ucchvasamānas tu kṛcchrāt saṃstabhya pannagaḥ | utsasarja giraṃ mandāṃ mānuṣīṃ pāśa-pīḍitaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Noon, habang mahigpit na nakagapos at pinahihirapan ng tali, bahagya na lamang humihinga ang ahas. Sa matinding pagpupunyagi ay napigil nito ang sarili, at sa mahinang tinig ay nagsalita sa wika ng tao.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how bondage and pain can subdue arrogance and bring forth measured, truthful speech; restraint (pāśa) becomes a catalyst for humility and moral reflection.
A serpent, bound by a noose and struggling to breathe, gathers himself with difficulty and then speaks softly in human language, as narrated by Bhīṣma.