Shloka 44
Śrī–Indra–Bali Saṃvāda: The Departure and Fourfold Placement of Lakṣmī
तेषां विमृशतामेव तत् तत्समभिधावताम् | क्वचिन्निविशते बुद्धिस्तत्र जीर्यति वृक्षवत्
teṣāṃ vimṛśatām eva tat-tat-samabhidhāvatām | kvacin niviśate buddhis tatra jīryati vṛkṣavat ||
毗湿摩说道：“凡反复思量却又奔逐于诸说之间者，其智有时亦会栖止于某一立场；而一旦栖止，便在彼处老朽而僵固——如树扎根。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Constantly chasing multiple, competing viewpoints can exhaust discernment; even when the mind finally settles, it may become rigid and stagnant if it merely “takes root” in a fixed opinion rather than maturing into clear, living wisdom.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he comments on the condition of seekers who keep debating and running after different doctrines; he observes how their intellect may eventually lodge in one position and then become hardened and worn there, like a tree rooted in one spot.