Shloka 17
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
शुश्रूषया परॉल्लोकानवाप्स्यसि न संशय:
śuśrūṣayā parāṁl lokān avāpsyasi na saṁśayaḥ
毗湿摩说：凭借恭敬勤谨的侍奉（śuśrūṣā），你必将获得更高的诸界——毫无疑问。道场的主持者说道：“在此阿湿罗摩中，首陀罗不得披戴出家遁世（saṃnyāsa）的外在标志而居住。若你想留在这里，就如常而住，侍奉诸位圣贤与大德（sādhu、mahātmā）。唯以侍奉，你便能得至胜善之界——毫无疑问。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devoted service (śuśrūṣā)—especially to sādhus and disciplined elders—is presented as a direct means to spiritual merit and higher attainment; inner conduct and service can outweigh mere external renunciant signs.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction on dharma, assures the listener that by remaining in an āśrama setting and serving the virtuous with sincerity, one will gain exalted results; the surrounding context (as reflected in the Gītā Press Hindi note) contrasts eligibility for renunciant marks with the universally accessible path of service.