Shloka 9
सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्
Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga
जैसे डरे हुए हाथी भागकर किसी जलाशयमें प्रवेश कर जाते हैं
vyāsa uvāca | yathā bhītā gajā dhāvitvā kasyacid jalāśaye praviśanti, tataḥ sahasā niṣkramya na punar eva svapūrvasthānaṃ pratyāgacchanti; tathā yasmin puruṣe pareṣāṃ nindā-praśaṃsā-vākyāni līyante, na ca prativacanatvena punar nirgatāni bhavanti—yaḥ kṛtāyā nindāyāḥ stutyā vā kiñcid uttaraṃ na dadāti sa eva saṃnyāsāśrame vasituṃ śaknoti || naiva paśyen na śṛṇuyād avācyaṃ jātu kasyacit | brāhmaṇānāṃ viśeṣeṇa naiva brūyāt kathaṃcana ||
毗耶娑说：譬如受惊的大象奔入水塘，忽而又跃出，却不再回到原先之处；同样，若他人毁誉之言入其心中而被摄受，却不复从口中返出为答辩——对诋毁不答，对称赞亦不答——唯有此人，方堪安住于出离之道（僧伽尼耶萨，saṃnyāsa）。出家行者不应抬眼看那诽谤之人；不应听闻粗恶不当之语；尤其对于婆罗门（brāhmaṇa），无论如何都不应说出任何不敬不正之言。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A true saṃnyāsī practices radical restraint of speech and reaction: he absorbs praise and blame without returning them as a retort, avoids engaging with abusive talk, and maintains scrupulous propriety—especially in speech concerning brāhmaṇas.
In the didactic flow of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa lays down behavioral marks of renunciation, using the simile of elephants that enter and exit a pond without returning to the prior spot—illustrating how a renunciant lets others’ words end in him without producing a counter-response.