Shloka 35
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
त्यक्त्वा मूलफलं सर्व पर्णाहारो$भवद् द्विज: । पर्ण त्यक्त्वा जलाहार: पुनरासीद् द्विजस्तदा
tyaktvā mūla-phalaṁ sarvaṁ parṇāhāro 'bhavad dvijaḥ | parṇaṁ tyaktvā jalāhāraḥ punar āsīd dvijas tadā |
毗湿摩说道：“他舍弃一切根与果，只以树叶为食；继而连叶也舍弃，当时便唯以清水维生。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates progressive renunciation—reducing dependence on food from roots and fruits to leaves, then to water—showing how disciplined austerity (tapas) and self-control can strengthen inner steadiness and spiritual power rather than weaken it.
Bhishma describes a brahmin ascetic who intensifies his austerities step by step: first living on forest produce, then only leaves, then only water. The surrounding narration (as reflected in the given Hindi) continues that he later lives on air for years, yet his life-force does not decline, emphasizing the extraordinary potency attributed to sustained tapas.