Shloka 17
Śarīrin, Buddhi, and the Limits of Sense-Perception (इन्द्रियबुद्धिशरीरिविचारः)
पांसुभस्मकरीषाणां यथा वै राशयश्िता: । सहसा वारिणासिक्ता न यान्ति परिभावनम्
bhīṣma uvāca | pāṃsubhasmakarīṣāṇāṃ yathā vai rāśayaḥ sthitāḥ | sahasā vāriṇā siktā na yānti paribhāvanam |
毗湿摩说道：譬如尘土、灰烬与干牛粪之粉堆积成丘，若骤然洒水，并不能立刻湿润柔和到可供施用；同样，心也不会因一时急迫之力便适于恒常观修。唯有反复而渐次地润泽，干燥之团方能由内而外尽皆软化；瑜伽行者亦当耐心循序，徐徐收摄散逐于境的诸根，并以持续的禅修使心渐趋柔顺、安静，直至真正寂然。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mental steadiness is not achieved by sudden force; like dry heaps that need repeated wetting, the senses and mind must be trained gradually through sustained practice, leading to genuine calm and fitness for contemplation.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Shanti Parva, he uses a practical household analogy—sprinkling water on dry heaps—to explain how a yogin should patiently withdraw the senses and soften the mind through repeated meditative practice.