Shloka 8
Tapas as the Root of Attainment (तपः—साधनमूलप्रशंसा)
सार्थिका वणिजश्षापि तापसाक्षु वनौकस: । वसन्ति तत्र मार्गस्था: सुरम्ये नगसत्तमे,दल बाँधकर यात्रा करनेवाले वणिक्, वनवासी तपस्वी तथा दूसरे राहगीर भी उस रमणीय एवं श्रेष्ठ वृक्षेके नीचे निवास किया करते थे
sārthikā vaṇijaś cāpi tāpasāś ca vanaukasaḥ | vasanti tatra mārgasthāḥ suramye nagasattame ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Doon, sa bundok na lubhang kaaya-aya at marangal, ang mga naglalakbay na karaban at mga mangangalakal, ang mga ermitanyong naninirahan sa gubat, at iba pang mga nagdaraan sa daan ay humihinto ring manuluyan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of shared shelter and coexistence: people of different aims—trade, austerity, and travel—can gather peacefully in a wholesome place, implying the virtue of hospitality and the common good beyond social distinctions.
Bhishma describes a beautiful, excellent mountain locale that serves as a resting place. Caravans, merchants, ascetics, forest-dwellers, and other travellers stay there, indicating it is a well-known and welcoming stop on a route.