Shloka 27
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
औदका: सृष्टयश्चैव जन्तव: सिद्धिमाप्रुयु: । तेषामात्मैव भर्तव्यो नान्य: कश्नन विद्यते
audakāḥ sṛṣṭayaś caiva jantavaḥ siddhim āpruyuḥ | teṣām ātmā eva bhartavyo nānyaḥ kaścana vidyate ||
Bhīma nói: “Nếu chỉ cần tự nuôi thân đã đủ để đạt sự viên mãn tâm linh, thì loài sống dưới nước và cả những loài bất động hẳn cũng sẽ đạt được. Vì chúng chỉ phải tự duy trì lấy mình—không có ai khác để chúng gánh vác nuôi dưỡng.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīma argues that spiritual success (siddhi) cannot be reduced to merely feeding and sustaining oneself. If that alone produced perfection, then beings that naturally live by simple self-preservation—like aquatic creatures and even immobile life—would automatically attain siddhi. The implied ethical point is that dharma involves more than self-care; it includes responsibility, service, and sustaining others where appropriate.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discussions on dharma after the war, Bhīma speaks critically against an overly simplistic claim that renunciation or minimal self-maintenance is sufficient for spiritual attainment. He uses a pointed analogy—water-dwelling and other non-social beings—to challenge that view and to emphasize a more demanding understanding of righteous living.