Shloka 8
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
आकिंचन्यं सुखं लोके पथ्यं शिवमनामयम् । अनमित्रपथो होष दुर्लभ: सुलभो मत:
ākiñcanyaṁ sukhaṁ loke pathyaṁ śivam anāmayam | anamitra-patho hy eṣa durlabhaḥ sulabho mataḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“在这世间，无所有本身即是安乐；它是养正之道、吉祥之道、无害之道。此路不给怨敌以可乘之机——行者无惧仇雠。虽被认为难得，却也被称为易近易行。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that ākiñcanya—living without possessiveness and accumulation—is a direct source of happiness and safety. It is ethically wholesome and reduces conflict because it does not provoke rivalry or enmity; although renunciation seems difficult, it is accessible through inner resolve and disciplined living.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and peace after the war, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he praises the renunciant disposition as a practical path to welfare—one that avoids social hostility and leads to a calmer, less harmful life.