असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
पत्राहारैरश्मकुट्टैदन्तोलूखलिकैस्तथा । अब्भक्षेवायुभक्षैश्न तैरयं नरको जित:
patrāhārair aśmakuṭṭair dantolūkhalikais tathā | abbhakṣair vāyubhakṣaiś ca tair ayaṃ narako jitaḥ ||
尤提士提罗说道:那些苦行者以叶为食,以石上碾磨之物为粮;只凭牙齿咀嚼,不依磨粉之机与臼杵之食;又有唯饮水而生者,乃至唯食风而住者——正是这些人征服了这“地狱”。
युधिछिर उवाच
Rigorous self-restraint (tapas) is portrayed as a force that overcomes ‘naraka’—whether understood as literal hell or as the hellish consequences of sin and uncontrolled desire—emphasizing ethical purification through disciplined living.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira cites extreme ascetic practices (leaf-diet, stone-ground fare, chewing without processed food, living on water or air) to illustrate how powerful austerity is considered in conquering suffering and moral downfall.