Shloka 36
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
त्वं पुन: प्राज्ञरूप: सन् कृपणं परितप्यसे । अकाम्यान् कामयानोडर्थान् पराधीनानुपद्रवान्
tvaṁ punaḥ prājñarūpaḥ san kṛpaṇaṁ paritapyase | akāmyān kāmayāno 'rthān parādhīnān upadravān ||
Bhishma said: Though you appear wise, you still torment yourself with petty grief. You crave objects that are not truly worth desiring—things dependent on others and fraught with trouble—and, clinging to them, you lament in helplessness.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person who knows better can fall into sorrow through craving. Since worldly gains and pleasures are unstable, dependent on external factors, and often lead to distress, one should restrain desire and avoid degrading oneself through lamentation.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma admonishes the listener (in context, Yudhishthira) for grieving and yearning for worldly ends despite understanding their impermanence and dependence, steering him toward steadiness and dispassion.