Shloka 11
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
पत्राहारैरश्मकुट्टैदन्तोलूखलिकैस्तथा । अब्भक्षेवायुभक्षैश्न तैरयं नरको जित:
patrāhārair aśmakuṭṭair dantolūkhalikais tathā | abbhakṣair vāyubhakṣaiś ca tair ayaṃ narako jitaḥ ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: Yaong mga asetang nabubuhay sa mga dahon, yaong tumatagal sa pagkaing dinurog sa bato, yaong ngumunguya sa ngipin lamang na hindi umaasa sa gilingan o sa dinikdik sa lusong, at yaong nabubuhay sa tubig—o maging sa hangin—sa pamamagitan ng gayong mga tao nalalampasan ang “impiyernong” ito.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rigorous self-restraint (tapas) is portrayed as a force that overcomes ‘naraka’—whether understood as literal hell or as the hellish consequences of sin and uncontrolled desire—emphasizing ethical purification through disciplined living.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira cites extreme ascetic practices (leaf-diet, stone-ground fare, chewing without processed food, living on water or air) to illustrate how powerful austerity is considered in conquering suffering and moral downfall.