Shloka 19
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
गतायुषमसामर्थ्य क्षीणसारं हतश्रियम् | विमृश्य प्रज्ञया धीर जहीम॑ स्थविरं द्रुमम्
gatāyuṣam asāmarthyaṁ kṣīṇasāraṁ hataśriyam | vimṛśya prajñayā dhīra jahīmaṁ sthaviraṁ drumam ||
毗湿摩说：“坚忍者啊！以明慧细察：此树寿命已尽，气力已竭，内髓枯槁，荣光尽失。既以智慧思量诸相，如今便舍离这衰老之树吧。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Use discerning wisdom to recognize decline and impermanence; when something has lost its life-force, capacity, and purpose, one should let go without attachment, acting with calm judgment rather than sentiment.
Bhīṣma addresses Śuka and points to an aged, depleted tree as an instructive example. He urges Śuka to observe its clear signs of exhaustion and, after thoughtful consideration, to abandon it—using the tree as a moral emblem for timely renunciation.