Shloka 17
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
न धर्मकाल: पुरुषस्य निश्चितो न चापि मृत्यु: पुरुष प्रतीक्षते । सदा हि धर्मस्य क्रियैव शोभना यदा नरो मृत्युमुखेडभिवर्तते
na dharmakālaḥ puruṣasya niścito na cāpi mṛtyuḥ puruṣa pratīkṣate | sadā hi dharmasya kriyaiva śobhanā yadā naro mṛtyumukhe ’bhivartate ||
قال باراشارا: «ليس للإنسان وقتٌ محدّد يُقال إنه “الوقت المناسب” لممارسة الدارما؛ فالموت لا ينتظر أحدًا. ولأن المرء كأنه قائمٌ دائمًا على فم الموت، فإن ما يليق به حقًّا هو أداء الدارما على الدوام بلا انقطاع.»
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not postpone dharma. Since death can come at any time and does not wait, the only fitting course is to practice righteousness and duty continuously, not merely at a ‘convenient’ moment.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, the sage Parāśara delivers a moral exhortation: he warns against delaying ethical and religious conduct, grounding his advice in the unpredictability of death.