Shloka 25
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
शमार्थिन: कालगतिं वदन्ति सद्यः शुचं त्वर्थविदस्त्यजन्ति । श्रेय:क्षयं शोचति नित्यमोहात् तस्माच्छुचं मुज्च हते भुजड़े,शान्ति चाहनेवाले पुरुष कालकी गति बताते हैं (अर्थात् कालने ही इसका नाश कर दिया है, ऐसा कहते हुए शोकका त्याग करके संतोष धारण करते हैं)। परंतु जो अर्थवेत्ता हैं --बदला लेना जानते हैं, वे शत्रुका नाश करके तुरंत ही शोक छोड़ देते हैं। दूसरे लोग श्रेयका नाश होनेपर मोहवश सदा उसके लिये शोक करते रहते हैं; अत: इस शत्रुभूत सर्पके मारे जानेपर तुम भी तत्काल ही अपने पुत्र-शोकको त्याग देना
śamārthinaḥ kālagatiṁ vadanti sadyaḥ śucaṁ tv arthavidās tyajanti | śreyaḥkṣayaṁ śocati nityamohāt tasmāc chucaṁ muñca hate bhujaṅge ||
The hunter said: “Those who seek peace explain events as the course of Time, and thus at once relinquish grief. Those who are skilled in practical ends—who know how to secure their purpose—cast off sorrow immediately after destroying the enemy. Others, through constant delusion, keep lamenting when their welfare is lost. Therefore, now that this enemy-serpent has been slain, you too abandon your grief for your son at once.”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grief should be relinquished by recognizing either (a) the inevitability of Time’s course, which brings loss beyond personal control, or (b) the completion of necessary action—once the hostile cause is removed, continued lament is seen as delusion. The verse contrasts peace-seekers who accept Kāla with pragmatists who move on after achieving their aim, urging immediate release from sorrow.
The hunter addresses a grieving person (mourning a son) and argues that since the enemy-serpent has been killed, the occasion for ongoing sorrow has ended. He offers two models of coping—acceptance of Time and practical resolution—then exhorts the listener to abandon lamentation at once.