Shloka 17
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
आपत्काले हि संन्यास: कर्तव्य इति शिष्यते । जरयाभिपरीतेन शत्रुभिव्यसितेन वा
āpatkāle hi saṃnyāsaḥ kartavya iti śiṣyate | jarayābhiparītena śatrubhir vyasitena vā ||
毗摩说道：“经论（śāstra）的教诲是：在大难临头之时，人可以正当地取行出离。又如为老迈所困，或被仇敌夺尽财物与资具之时，也当受持三摩尼耶娑（saṃnyāsa），转离世务。”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renunciation (saṃnyāsa) is presented as a legitimate and even prescribed course when one is struck by severe adversity—such as crisis, debilitating old age, or being dispossessed by enemies—so that one turns from futile worldly struggle toward a dharma-centered, inwardly disciplined life.
Within the Śānti Parva’s broader instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīma voices a śāstric guideline: when circumstances make ordinary worldly responsibilities impossible or meaningless—through calamity, senescence, or loss of livelihood—one may adopt the renunciant path.