Shloka 133
महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self
वर्तयन्ति यथान्यायं वैखानसगतिं श्रिता: । वानप्रस्थ-धर्मका आश्रय लेकर कोई कन्द-मूलसे और कोई-कोई दृढ़ व्रतका पालन करते हुए फूलोंसे ही धर्मानुकूल जीविका चलाते हैं
vartayanti yathānyāyaṃ vaikhānasagatiṃ śritāḥ | vānaprastha-dharmakāḥ āśritya kecit kandamūlaiḥ, kecid dṛḍhavrataparāḥ, puṣpaiḥ eva dharmānukūlāṃ jīvikāṃ vartayanti |
毗耶娑说：凡归依毗迦那萨（Vaikhānasa）之道者，皆依正理而住。作为林居期之法（vānaprastha-dharma）的奉行者，有的以根茎块薯自养；有的坚守严峻誓戒，以花为食，令其生计与法（dharma）相应。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the forest-dweller (vānaprastha) should sustain life through a restrained, non-indulgent, and dharma-aligned livelihood—accepting minimal, naturally available food (roots, tubers, or even only flowers) while remaining steadfast in vows and propriety.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa describes the conduct of those who follow the Vaikhānasa-oriented forest discipline: they live rightly in the woods, some eating roots and tubers, others observing stricter vows and subsisting solely on flowers, exemplifying regulated renunciation.