Shloka 48
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर ब्राह्मणने देखा कि उन भोगी पुरुषोंको काम, क्रोध, लोभ, भय, मद, निद्रा, तन्दा और आलस्य आदि शत्रु घेरकर खड़े हैं ।।
Kuṇḍadhāra uvāca: etair lokāḥ susaṃruddhā devānāṃ mānuṣād bhayam | tathaiva devavacanād viṣaghnaṃ kurvanti sarvaśaḥ ||
Kuṇḍadhāra sprach: „Sieh: Überall sind die Menschen von diesen Fehlern eng umschlossen. Die Götter hegen Furcht vor den Menschen; darum, auf Geheiß der Götter, behindern diese inneren Feinde — Begierde und die übrigen — auf jede Weise das Dharma und die Askese eines Menschen, als reichten sie ein Gift dar, das die geistige Anstrengung vernichtet.“
कुण्डधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human spiritual life is endangered primarily by internal foes—desire, anger, greed, fear, pride, sleep, sloth, and the like. These forces ‘besiege’ the mind and thereby sabotage dharma and tapas; the remedy implied is vigilance and self-mastery.
Kuṇḍadhāra explains that people are surrounded by moral-psychological defects, and he frames these defects as agents that, under divine prompting, create obstacles to human righteousness and austerity—highlighting the constant struggle between aspiration and inner temptation.