Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
यत्रासते मतिमन्तो मनस्विनः शक्रो विष्णुर्यत्र सरस्वती च । वसन्ति भूतानि च यत्र नित्य॑ तस्माद् विद्वान् नावमन्येत देहम्
yatrāsate matimanto manasvinaḥ śakro viṣṇur yatra sarasvatī ca | vasanti bhūtāni ca yatra nityaṁ tasmād vidvān nāvamanyeta deham ||
毗湿摩说道:凡智者与高怀之士所居之处——因陀罗与毗湿奴在彼处,辩才天女萨拉斯瓦蒂亦在彼处——众生恒常栖止于彼处;故有学之人切莫轻蔑此身。
भीष्म उवाच
The body should not be scorned; it is the indispensable support for knowledge, speech, and dharmic living—symbolically a dwelling-place of divine powers and of all beings.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct; here he emphasizes a disciplined, respectful attitude toward the body as the basis for ethical and spiritual life.