Shloka 1936

Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

एवमीहासमायुक्तं मृत्युरादाय गच्छति । मनुष्य सोचता है कि यह काम तो मैंने कर लिया, इस कामको अभी करना है और यह दूसरा कार्य कुछ हदतक हो गया है और शेष बाकी पड़ा है। इस प्रकार मनसूबे बाँधनेमें लगे हुए उस मनुष्यको मौत लेकर चल देती है

Transliteration

evam īhā-samāyuktaṃ mṛtyur ādāya gacchati |

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Der Mensch denkt: ‚Diese Aufgabe habe ich vollendet; jene muss ich noch tun; diese andere Arbeit ist halb getan, der Rest bleibt ausstehend.‘ So, während er in Pläne und Vorhaben verstrickt ist, kommt der Tod und trägt ihn fort.“

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

इहhere, in this world

आशाby hope/expectation

समायुक्तम्endowed/connected (with)

मृत्युःdeath

आदायhaving taken/carrying off

गच्छतिgoes, departs

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Death (Mṛtyu)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Human beings get entangled in endless planning—counting what is done and what remains—yet death can arrive at any moment. Therefore one should cultivate awareness of impermanence, prioritize dharma, and avoid complacency based on future intentions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Shanti Parva, he describes a common human mindset of being busy with ongoing projects. He then personifies Death as coming and taking such a person away, emphasizing the unpredictability of life.