Shloka 10
दीर्घदर्शी–दीर्घसूत्र–संप्रतिपत्तिमान् आख्यानम्
The Parable of Foresight, Procrastination, and Presence of Mind
अपध्वस्तो हावमतो दुःखं जीवति जीवितम् | जीवितं यदपक्रुष्ट यथैव मरणं तथा,दुर्बल अपनी सम्पत्तिसे वंचित हो जाता है, सबके अपमान और उपेक्षाका पात्र बनता है तथा दुःखमय जीवन व्यतीत करता है। जो जीवन निन्दित हो जाता है, वह मृत्युके ही तुल्य है
apadhvasto hāvamato duḥkhaṃ jīvati jīvitam | jīvitaṃ yad apakṛṣṭaṃ yathaiva maraṇaṃ tathā |
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wenn ein Mensch zugrunde gerichtet und verachtet wird, schleppt er ein Leben voller Leid dahin. Ein Leben, das erniedrigt und verschmäht ist, ist in Wahrheit nicht anders als der Tod.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that mere biological survival is not the highest good; when life is stripped of dignity and becomes an object of contempt and constant misery, it is ethically and existentially akin to death. The verse underscores the value of self-respect, social standing grounded in dharma, and the avoidance of a degraded life that destroys one’s capacity to live rightly.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct after the war, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the realities of human life—especially the consequences of downfall, loss of resources, and social disregard—framing them as conditions that can make life itself feel like death.