Shloka 17
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
आपत्काले हि संन्यास: कर्तव्य इति शिष्यते । जरयाभिपरीतेन शत्रुभिव्यसितेन वा
āpatkāle hi saṃnyāsaḥ kartavya iti śiṣyate | jarayābhiparītena śatrubhir vyasitena vā ||
Wika ni Bhima: “Ito ang turo ng mga śāstra: sa panahon ng matinding kapahamakan, maaaring tanggapin ang saṃnyāsa, ang landas ng pagtalikod. Gayundin, kapag dinadaganan ng katandaan, o kapag inagawan ng mga kaaway ng yaman at kabuhayan, nararapat na yakapin ang saṃnyāsa.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renunciation (saṃnyāsa) is presented as a legitimate and even prescribed course when one is struck by severe adversity—such as crisis, debilitating old age, or being dispossessed by enemies—so that one turns from futile worldly struggle toward a dharma-centered, inwardly disciplined life.
Within the Śānti Parva’s broader instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīma voices a śāstric guideline: when circumstances make ordinary worldly responsibilities impossible or meaningless—through calamity, senescence, or loss of livelihood—one may adopt the renunciant path.