Shloka 54
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
दम्यनाशकृते मड़किरमृतत्वं किलागमत् । अच्छिनत् काममूलं स तेन प्राप महत्सुखम्,बछड़ोंके नाशको निमित्त बनाकर ही मड्कि अमृतत्वको प्राप्त हो गये। उन्होंने कामकी जड़ काट डाली; इसीलिये महान् सुख प्राप्त कर लिया
damyanāśakṛte maḍkiramṛtatvaṃ kilāgamat | acchinat kāmamūlaṃ sa tena prāpa mahatsukham ||
毗湿摩说道：“据说摩陀奇（Maḍki）以小牛被毁之事为因缘而得不死。他从根本处斩断了欲（kāma）；因此获得了广大之乐。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Lasting happiness arises from uprooting desire (kāma) rather than merely managing its outward expressions. The verse frames renunciation as a decisive inner act—‘cutting the root’—which leads to great sukha and even ‘amṛtatva’ (deathlessness/spiritual attainment).
Bhīṣma cites the example of the ascetic Maḍki: after an event described as the destruction/loss of calves, Maḍki takes that misfortune as the occasion for deep dispassion, severs desire at its source, and thereby attains immortality and great happiness.