Shloka 17
Bhṛgu–Bharadvāja-saṃvāda: Vānaprastha-parivrājaka-ācāra, Abhaya-dharma, and Lokānāṃ Vibhāga (Śānti-parva 185)
सुखदु:खयोश्व ग्रहणाच्छिन्नस्य च विरोहणात् | जीवं पश्यामि वृक्षाणामचैतन्यं न विद्यते
sukha-duḥkhayoś ca grahaṇāc chinnasya ca virohaṇāt | jīvaṁ paśyāmi vṛkṣāṇām acaitanyaṁ na vidyate ||
Bharadvāja nói: “Vì cây cối cảm nhận được vui và khổ, và vì cây bị chặt vẫn nảy mầm trở lại, ta nhận thấy trong cây có nguyên lý sống. Chúng không phải là vật vô tri.”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues for the presence of jīva (a living principle) in trees, inferred from their capacity to register harm (pleasure/pain) and to regenerate after being cut; ethically, it supports a broader, more careful application of non-violence and moral consideration toward plant life.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Bharadvāja presents a reasoned observation: trees are not merely inert matter, since they respond to injury and show regrowth; therefore he concludes they possess life rather than being wholly insentient.