Shloka 25
Adhyāya 180: Jīva, Śarīra, and the Fire Analogy (भृगु–भरद्वाज संवादः)
अचलमनिधनं शिवं विशोक॑ शुचिमतुल विदुषां मते प्रविष्टम् । अनभिमतमसेवितं विमूढै- ब्रीतमिदमाजगरं शुचिश्नचरामि
acalam anidhanaṁ śivaṁ viśokaṁ śucim atulaṁ viduṣāṁ mate praviṣṭam | anabhimatam asevitaṁ vimūḍhair brītam idam ājagaraṁ śuciśnacarāmi ||
毗湿摩说道：“此‘蟒蛇之行’坚固不摇，不趋败坏，吉祥无忧，清净无比，合乎智者之裁断。迷妄之人不喜，故不修习。我常住于意念清净，奉行此 ajagara-vṛtti——不以躁动奔逐为生，唯以自然而至者为足。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse commends ājagara-vṛtti—steadfast, pure, non-anxious living marked by contentment and minimal striving. It is praised as auspicious and sorrowless, endorsed by the wise, yet neglected by the deluded who cannot value such restraint and inner purity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma speaks as a teacher to the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira in context), describing and endorsing a disciplined, renunciant mode of life. He presents the ‘python’ metaphor to illustrate calm acceptance and freedom from restless pursuit.